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May 30, 2006 Volume 30, Issue 34 |
Hybrid SUV may get great gas mileage
Mississippi State engineering majors are transforming a 2005 sport utility vehicle into a diesel-electric hybrid automobile they hope will get 35 miles to a gallon of gas when it’s ready to roll.
The students are members of the university’s Challenge X team, which is in the middle of a three-year national competition to see who can best explore and develop advanced vehicle technologies that address important energy and environmental issues.
The MSU group is among 17 teams from colleges and universities across the country that are re-engineering 2005 Chevrolet Equinox sport utility vehicles to minimize energy consumption, emissions and greenhouse gases while maintaining utility and performance.
The Equinox is a so-called “crossover” model built by General Motors Corp., which donated all the Challenge X vehicles.
“During the past two years of the competition, MSU students have devoted countless hours to designing the vehicle and are now bringing an operating hybrid to fruition,” said faculty adviser Marshall Molen.
The collegiate teams—including a 10-member contingent from MSU—will gather in Mesa, Ariz., May 30-June 8 to compete in the second of three national Challenge X events. The competition presents real-world challenges to the students, while providing new ideas that could significantly alter the future of vehicle design.
“The students will have an opportunity to demonstrate how well their vehicle performs,” added Molen, a power electronics research professor at the university’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems that is supporting the students’ efforts.
The MSU team has designed a diesel-electric, parallel hybrid vehicle that has an internal combustion engine running the front wheels and an electric motor running the rear wheels. The diesel engine runs on B-20 bio-diesel, causing fewer emissions.
Each participating team receives $10,000 in seed money and is eligible to collect up to $25,000 in additional production parts from GM. Award money up for grabs at the second-year competition totals more than $90,000.