Summer 2004

1,194 Miles to the Gallon

A team of 25 Rose-Hulman students designed a fuel efficient one-person vehicle that achieved 1,194 miles per gallon of gasoline to finish third in the collegiate division of the Society of Automotive Engineers’ Supermileage Competition, conducted in early June at Eaton Corporation’s vehicle proving ground in Marshall, Mich.

This was Rose-Hulman’s first entry in the national contest, which included 24 teams from the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Rose-Hulman’s vehicle, powered by a highly modified single cylinder, 3.5 horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine, needed barely one ounce of gasoline to complete a 9.6-mile test run. The University of British Columbia (Canada) won the contest with 1,747.4 mpg.

“People certainly took notice of our performance this year. Achieving over 1,000 mpg is quite an accomplishment, especially for the first year,” stated Rose- Hulman Team President Matt Neisen, a sophomore mechanical engineering major.

Rose-Hulman’s car was eight feet long, 26 inches wide and weighed approximately 80 pounds. It had two wheels that provide steering in the front and a single drive wheel in the middle of the back. The main structure of the vehicle was provided by a honeycomb carbon-fiber panel which rests approximately a half inch above the pavement.