Beyond The Competition

Building a Hemp Aero Kit for Formula SAE? Here’s What Happened!

Beyond The Competition

Show Notes

What happens when a Formula SAE team trades carbon fiber for hemp? In this episode of SAE Beyond the Competition, we talk with Alton Coolidge from Olin College of Engineering about his team’s bold experiment — building an aero kit for their Formula car using sustainable hemp materials. Alton shares how the idea came together, why hemp was the perfect choice for their budget and workspace, and what they learned from the challenges of working with non-traditional composites. It’s a great conversation about creativity, problem-solving, and how sustainable materials like hemp could play a bigger role in the future of automotive design — especially for student teams.

Learn more about Alton at www.altoncoolidge.com and check out his full video series on the project here. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLupOQxK7Bfe8FLjMPqqw6_MVvJu3c0CgR

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