Off-Road Ice Cream Truck 🍦🤤🍨

Team Members: Adam (1st grade), Eros (1st grade), Devin (1st grade)

Materials

We started by gathering all the materials needed for the project. Here is a list of the materials used to create our car:

• Wood piece for the base.
• Recycled ice cream cup used for the main structure. This was glued to the wood base.
• Ice cream color foam to decorate and Pipe cleaners as sprinkles
• Half styrofoam cup for placing the bunny (passenger) inside 
• DC motor
• Batteries 
• Color code cables for the circuit 
• 4 Wheels, Axle, and straw pieces to help move the car.  
• 4 rubber bands to surround the wheels.
• Hot silicon 
• A ball head over the icecream cup to give mobility and stability 
• Solar panel 

Specifications

L=23 cm W= 14.2 cm H=13 cm

Weight: Car weight 362.8 Grams

Gear specs are 40T:10

Description

Our team had an exciting and challenging time building a solar car for this competition.

In the first stage of our project construction, we chose an Ice Cream cup due to its appropriate shape and size as the foundation structure for our solar car. We attached a D-type ball head with liquid silicone to the solar panel and cup to ensure the car’s stability and durability. This decision allowed us to adjust the solar panel’s angle based on the sun’s position during the competition.

During our discussion, we explored the possibility of using larger and thicker wheels for the car. We managed to obtain new wheels but to use them; we had to place the wheels from the kit inside the new ones. Unfortunately, this caused the car to become unstable, so we could not use the new wheels.

We designed a compartment using a Styrofoam cup to house a ping pong ball, symbolizing the vehicle’s passenger. This decision added a playful and visually appealing element to the car’s overall design.

We were trying to find a way to give our car a more ice cream-themed look. We asked our moms to print a waffle cone pattern to achieve this. We then used an extra ice cream cup to cut the shape and decorate the design. Initially, we thought of adding an ice cream truck on both sides of the car, but we decided against it because it would be difficult to adjust the solar panel if needed due to the sun.

To complete the ice cream theme, we painted the wooden base of the car to resemble strawberry ice cream and added sprinkles-shaped decorations (pipe cleaners) for a more attractive and realistic appearance. We decorated the passenger seat (half-styrofoam cup) with small ice cream cones and painted the passenger as a cherry.

Building a solar car was challenging and enjoyable. We learned about materials and their applications, creating a functional and visually appealing vehicle. We’re grateful for the experience and knowledge gained.

Testing