West Virginia Universitys FutureTruck team finished sixth overall in this years competition to create the”greenest,”most fuel-efficient sport utility vehicle.
WVU also placed first in one category, tying with the University of Maryland for best trailer towing performance. Both schools shared last years overall title.
The University of California-Davis finished first overall this year, followed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Maryland, Georgia Tech and Cornell University. The awards were announced Wednesday night in Washington, D.C., where the 15 competing teams traveled after the seven-day competition at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, Mich.
“I am satisfied with where we finished,”said team adviser Jason Conley, a graduate mechanical engineering student from Bridgeport.”We finished with a running vehicle and were able to enter and complete all events. A sixth-place finish may not sound as good as last years first-place finish, but many of the other teams were running better this year. Our students learned a lot, and that is the primary objective of the competition.”
FutureTruck, sponsored by GM and the U.S. Department of Energy, evolved from the FutureCar Challenge. Participating student teams modify the powertrain on a GM sport utility vehicle to increase fuel economy. They may employ various advanced automotive technologies, including hydrogen fuel cells, hybrid powertrains combining electric motors and internal combustion engines, emerging computer technology, advanced electronics and alternative fuels.
WVU students replaced their vehicles gas engine with a 2.5-liter prototype Detroit Diesel engine, added a 100-horsepower electric motor and installed a manual transmission.
Judges for the competition evaluated vehiclesperformance in areas such as greenhouse gas impact, fuel economy, exhaust emissions, acceleration and safety.
Besides Conley, WVU FutureTruck team members who went to Michigan include Tom Buffamonte of East Amherst, N.Y.; Jason Cheslock and Csaba Toth-Nagy, both of Morgantown; Doug Fig of Jackson, N.J.; Ken Lynch-Warntz of Mount Airy, Md.; Axel Raedermacher of Harpers Ferry; and Sam Taylor of Fenwick. They are all mechanical and aerospace engineering students in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. Nigel Clark, a mechanical and aerospace engineering professor, is the teams faculty adviser.
Visit the FutureTruck web site athttp://www.futuretruck.org/for more information.