Penn State's SUV Finishes Among Leaders at FutureTruck 2003 Events
June 26, 2003
University Park, Pa. --- Penn State's Wattmuncher, a 2002 Ford Explorer re-engineered into a hybrid electric vehicle by student volunteers, won the Built Ford Tough Award at the just-concluded FutureTruck 2003 competition.
Dr. Daniel C. Haworth, associate professor of mechanical engineering and the students' faculty adviser, says, "The team received the award for entering the competition with a working and debugged vehicle, completing every event on the first try and being the first team to complete several of the events."
The Penn State vehicle finished fifth overall, the same position it won last year. However, only six points out of a possible 1,000 separated Penn State from this year's third place holder, Michigan Technological University. The University of Wisconsin, Madison, won the competition as it did last year but improved its score by just 2.5 points over 2002. Penn State's point total moved up 150 from a year ago after the team made substantial improvements to Wattmuncher. Penn State also won the oral design presentation award with a perfect score of 100 points.
Fifteen universities, selected by proposal, competed in events that began June 2 at Ford's Michigan Proving Ground and concluded with an awards dinner June 12 in Dearborn, Michigan. The events involved trailer towing, emissions testing, fuel economy, acceleration, off-road performance, the oral presentation, and judgings of design and consumer acceptability. Vehicles must first pass a technical inspection and qualify on braking and handling courses.
The competition challenges student teams to turn a stock Ford Explorer into a hybrid electric vehicle that achieves lower emissions levels and a 25 percent increase in fuel economy without sacrificing vehicle performance and consumer acceptability. An internal combustion engine, complemented by an electric motor and battery pack, powers a hybrid electric vehicle.
The U.S. Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory and Ford were headline sponsors for the 2002 and 2003 competitions, and will continue in 2004. A host of other corporations and governmental and non-profit organizations also back the competition, including Delphi Automotive Systems, which awarded Penn State third place in its Advanced Powertrain Technology Award ratings.
More than 40 volunteers, many of them members of the student chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers, worked on the vehicle during the 2002-2003 academic year. Fourteen team members and Dr. Haworth attended the competition. Penn State and its Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (PTI), as well as corporations and organizations, supported the team.
Details on Penn State's accomplishments at FutureTruck can be viewed in the news section of the PTI Web site, www.pti.psu.edu Daily results from the competition and background information can be found at www.futuretruck.org on the Internet.
The FutureTruck team members who attended the competition are:
Brad Beebe, Rome, NY; Krishan Bhatia, Newark, DE; Henry Chance, State College; Elana Chapman, State College and native of Dayton, OH; Jeff Gonder, Denver, CO; Ryan Harrier, Pinckney, MI; Brian Herrold, Selinsgrove, PA; Eugene Kung, Mount Vernon, NY; Paul Minear, Wyomissing, PA; Gary Neal, Port Matilda, PA and native of Punxsutawney; Eric Reischer, Chadds Ford, PA; Jim Schmalzried, Erie, PA; Kandler Smith, State College; Jon Weidner, Sinking Spring, PA.
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