xcel
06-10-2006, 12:01 PM
University of British Columbia got upwards of 3,145 miles to the gallon. (http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060610/NEWS03/606100317/1001/RSS)
Barbara Wieland - Lansing State Journal – June 10, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Student_FE_Competition.jpg
Tooling: Nicole Evers, 20, drives a car from Valparaiso University on Friday at the Eaton Corp. proving grounds near Marshall as part of the Society of Automotive Engineers' annual Supermileage event. Each vehicle in the competition must be able to carry one person and contain basic safety equipment, such a seat belt.
MARSHALL - People shopping for the tops in fuel economy often opt for a hybrid vehicle such as the Toyota Prius, which claims to get 60 miles per gallon.
Drivers could do a whole lot better.
Vehicles tested Friday on the Eaton Corp. proving grounds near Marshall got upward of 3,145 miles to the gallon, which would make it possible to travel from Lansing to Los Angeles on less than one gallon of fuel.
Average cost: $5,000
You won't be able to buy one of these cars at a local dealer's lot, however. They were made by teams of high school and college students, who built them for an average of $5,000 each. The students brought their creations to the Society of Automotive Engineers' annual Supermileage event this week.
The vehicle made by a team of five Central Michigan University students cost a whole lot less.
"We took a cost-effective approach and made ours for about $1,000," said Charlotte native Derek Beebe, who recently graduated from CMU with a bachelor's degree in industrial technical management.
The CMU team - the only one from the mid-Michigan area to compete this year - ran into trouble as the competition got under way. Its trip around the test track was delayed by emergency welding.
It's that sort of troubleshooting experience that will pay off in the real world, Beebe said.
"I'm learning how to do on-the-fly repair and how to solve problems," he said. "This is learning by doing."
In all, 29 university teams and 12 high school teams - most of which receive sponsorships - signed up to compete this year.
Futuristic creations
Each team is given a 3.5-horsepower Briggs & Stratton four-stroke engine, which they are allowed to modify. All vehicles must be able to carry one person, have at least three wheels and contain basic safety equipment, such as a seat belt.
Beyond that, the cars are the students' creations.
Looking more like futuristic spacecraft than automobiles, the vehicles made six laps around a 1.6-mile oval track. Fuel - not gasoline, but a purer form of fuel - is measured before a vehicle starts and after it leaves the track to determine how far it could go on a single gallon.
Jim Gluys, a principal engineer at Eaton Corp. who organized the event, said the contest is one way to encourage students to consider a career in automotive engineering.
"We want to have opportunities for students to become interested in technical careers," he said.
Many of the students who compete go on to work in the transportation industry, said Samuel Barill, a manager at SAE International.
"Employers tell us often that a deciding factor in who to interview (for a job) is whether a person has had an experience like this one," Barill said. "We want to give future engineers a head start."
Barbara Wieland - Lansing State Journal – June 10, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Student_FE_Competition.jpg
Tooling: Nicole Evers, 20, drives a car from Valparaiso University on Friday at the Eaton Corp. proving grounds near Marshall as part of the Society of Automotive Engineers' annual Supermileage event. Each vehicle in the competition must be able to carry one person and contain basic safety equipment, such a seat belt.
MARSHALL - People shopping for the tops in fuel economy often opt for a hybrid vehicle such as the Toyota Prius, which claims to get 60 miles per gallon.
Drivers could do a whole lot better.
Vehicles tested Friday on the Eaton Corp. proving grounds near Marshall got upward of 3,145 miles to the gallon, which would make it possible to travel from Lansing to Los Angeles on less than one gallon of fuel.
Average cost: $5,000
You won't be able to buy one of these cars at a local dealer's lot, however. They were made by teams of high school and college students, who built them for an average of $5,000 each. The students brought their creations to the Society of Automotive Engineers' annual Supermileage event this week.
The vehicle made by a team of five Central Michigan University students cost a whole lot less.
"We took a cost-effective approach and made ours for about $1,000," said Charlotte native Derek Beebe, who recently graduated from CMU with a bachelor's degree in industrial technical management.
The CMU team - the only one from the mid-Michigan area to compete this year - ran into trouble as the competition got under way. Its trip around the test track was delayed by emergency welding.
It's that sort of troubleshooting experience that will pay off in the real world, Beebe said.
"I'm learning how to do on-the-fly repair and how to solve problems," he said. "This is learning by doing."
In all, 29 university teams and 12 high school teams - most of which receive sponsorships - signed up to compete this year.
Futuristic creations
Each team is given a 3.5-horsepower Briggs & Stratton four-stroke engine, which they are allowed to modify. All vehicles must be able to carry one person, have at least three wheels and contain basic safety equipment, such as a seat belt.
Beyond that, the cars are the students' creations.
Looking more like futuristic spacecraft than automobiles, the vehicles made six laps around a 1.6-mile oval track. Fuel - not gasoline, but a purer form of fuel - is measured before a vehicle starts and after it leaves the track to determine how far it could go on a single gallon.
Jim Gluys, a principal engineer at Eaton Corp. who organized the event, said the contest is one way to encourage students to consider a career in automotive engineering.
"We want to have opportunities for students to become interested in technical careers," he said.
Many of the students who compete go on to work in the transportation industry, said Samuel Barill, a manager at SAE International.
"Employers tell us often that a deciding factor in who to interview (for a job) is whether a person has had an experience like this one," Barill said. "We want to give future engineers a head start."