Competition fuels students

Deep in the bowels of the Dougherty Engineering Building, University of Tennessee mechanical engineering students and professors are turning gears in preparation for the Challenge X Competition: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility.

Challenge X will have students from 16 other North American universities competing next month to make a more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly sport utility vehicle while maintaining the same drivability and power as the original vehicle.

“At The University of Tennessee, we use this as a senior capstone design … where the team is made up of mechanical engineers and electrical engineering students,” John Miller, graduate student in mechanical engineering and team leader for a Challenge X team, said.

The first stage of the three-part competition, co-sponsored by General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy as well as nearly 30 other government and industry sponsors, includes a four-day competition held at GM University June 5 through June 8.

On June 9, the teams will receive a new 2005 Chevrolet Equinox as their test vehicle, a “crossover sports utility vehicle.”

Engineering students have spent the last year running test models in the new Advanced Powertrains, Controls & System Integration lab to map designs for the “through the road” drive system for the Equinox, a hybrid bio-diesel 1.3 liter Fiat engine, which will turn the front wheels combined with a battery powered electric engine for the rear wheels.

The all-wireless APCSI lab will allow the team to effectively test its concept ideas in a controlled environment without spending large amounts of time fabricating and modifying the test vehicle, allowing for more extensive testing to be done. The APCSI system will be an integral part of the team reaching its goal of a 25 percent increase in fuel efficiency.

First generation hybrid vehicles have had problems with the longevity of the batteries used to power the electric motors. UT’s team hopes to lessen these problems by using a nickel-metal battery, donated by COBASYS , instead of a lead-acid type battery found under the hood of a conventional car.

Another important factor of competitions like Challenge X is the automotive industry is able to hire engineers who already have experience with design, fabrication, and especially the production and testing of hybrid vehicles, which may soon be the most practical choice when buying a new car.

“These kind of competitions are the backbone of our program here. We’ve been doing this for, I guess, 17 years now. The students really enjoy it, I really like it, and I think it’s a great thing for UT to be involved in,” David Irick, mechanical engineer and faculty adviser for the project, said.

Additional information on the Challenge X competition can be found at http://www.challengex.org and http://apcsi.utk.edu.