Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's efficient vehicle team earned the
Best Design Proposal Award at the Society of Automotive Engineering’s
Supermileage engineering competition on June 8-9 at the Eaton
Corporation’s proving grounds in Marshall, Mich.
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Putting It All Together: Rose-Hulman Efficient Vehicle team
members (from left) Matt Neisen, Rob Lally and Blake Lin put the
finishing touches on the vehicle that will compete in this
year's Society of Automotive Engineers' Supermileage engineering
competition. |
Team members Matt Neisen, Elliot Goodman and Rob Lally made the oral
presentation, which was reviewed by professional engineers and
technicians. Other members of the 24-student team contributed to the
written proposal.
Engine malfunctions kept the team’s single-person vehicle from
achieving its goal of 1,500 miles per gallon in the competition.
“While disappointed in the final results, team members continue to
learn valuable lessons about implementing their innovative design
elements to vehicle testing and then to the actual competition,” stated
faculty advisor Rick Stamper, assistant professor of mechanical
engineering. “Our team is on the verge of performing great things, and
learning about creating efficient vehicles.”
Started as a way to generate public awareness in the area of fuel
economy, the Supermileage competition offers a simple yet challenging
goal: to construct a one-person, fuel-efficient vehicle based around a
small, four-cycle engine. Engines were donated by Briggs & Stratton.
Competitors from 29 collegiate and 12 high school teams from the U.S.
and Canada won’t race against the clock or to a checkered flag; the
highest miles per gallon wins the event.
Rose-Hulman’s team achieved 1,194 mpg to finished third in the 2004
SAE competition. The team had spent the past two years developing a new
vehicle, which is slightly over 8 foot long, 26 inches wide and weighed
approximately 85 pounds. It had two 20-inch bicycle wheels that provided
steering in the front and a single drive wheel in the middle of the
back. The base of the car was provided by a honeycomb carbon-fiber panel
that rested three-fourths of an inch above the pavement.
The efficient vehicle team includes 24 students from a variety of
engineering disciplines.
"There was only one senior on this year's team. So, we have a lot of
experienced team members from the past two years. Hopefully, that
experience will pay off for us in future competitions," Stamper said. | 
