It's the Big Apple and the nation's capital or bust.
A team of mechanical engineering students from the University of Texas at Austin will travel to New York City May 12 to compete in the final phase of a General Motors-sponsored competition called Challenge X, in which engineering students from 17 colleges and universities produce a hybrid sport utility vehicle from an existing GM Equinox. From there, the team will compete in a week-long road rally from Times Square to Washington, D.C., which will determine the overall winner.
The road rally is the culmination of a four-year project, in which the students were presented with the auto industry's most-pressing engineering issues – designing a cleaner-burning, fuel-efficient sport utility vehicle while still maintaining the performance and utility consumers expect from their cars. In return, students received hands-on experience and the chance to win cash prizes and awards, as well.
During the road rally, the vehicles will be driven at a track in New Jersey to test for emissions, fuel economy, handling and performance (acceleration).
The University of Texas at Austin team consists of 10 members: Jon Bodenhamer, Abby Holaschutz, Keith Kruelski, Nicole Munguia, Alejandro Novoa, Chris Ohlsen, Jude Osara, Mario Pulido and Dino Sasaridis and Enrique Villarreal. Their faculty advisor is Ronald Matthews, mechanical engineering professor. Their vehicle, dubbed the "longhorn bio-diesel truck" was shipped to New York May 5 in preparation for the road rally.
The students chose the diesel, mild-hybrid vehicle architecture, to increase fuel economy and decrease emissions—all without sacrificing vehicle performance and without hitting the consumer in the pocketbook. In addition, their vehicle uses a 36-volt, belt-driven alternator/starter that shuts down the engine during idle conditions to reduce vehicle emissions and conserve fuel.
"We've taken it a step further," Munguia says. "Other teams don't have complete engine management. We are the only team able to monitor how much fuel is being used under all driving conditions. By optimizing these engine variables we were able to reduce fuel consumption, and as a result produce a very efficient little diesel engine."
Munguia says they have the lightest vehicle in the competition, which means better fuel economy. "Being the lightest vehicle gives us an advantage," she says, adding that the vehicle is equipped with a light and easily integrated NiMH battery pack. "I think we're going to do great."
Competition judges hail from industry, government, and academia. Team vehicles will be judged extensively in categories such as towing capacity, acceleration, off-road performance, greenhouse gas impact, total well-to-wheels fuel economy, emissions, and consumer acceptability. Teams will also be required to give oral presentations and submit a technical paper.
Winners will be announced May 21.
General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy are the lead sponsors of Challenge X.