2006 was a successful year for the UW-Madison student vehicle teams:
Challenge X,
SAE Clean Snowmobile Team,
Formula SAE Racing Team
and
SAE Mini-Baja Team.
Top finishes and numerous awards paid tribute to students’ ingenuity, dedication and ability, as well as the leadership of advisor Glenn Bower, faculty associate of mechanical engineering.
Members of the
Formula SAE Racing Team
work together to design, build, market, and race a small, formula-style racing vehicle. Despite excellent performance early in the May 2006 competition, the team placed 30th overall when a break prevented the vehicle from finishing the endurance test.
However, the team also won several awards: the Polaris Intake Systems Design Award for innovative air intake and fuel delivery systems, the Ricardo Powertrain Award for excellence in powertrain engineering, and second in the Robert Bosch Corporation Engine Management System Award for excellence in design and performance of the engine management system.
For the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge, students re-engineer an existing snowmobile to improve emissions, noise and performance while remaining cost-effective. In March 2006, the UW-Madison
SAE Clean Snowmobile Team
placed first overall with its four-stroke Polaris, the Bucky Classic.
The team also received the Lotus Engineering and Horiba Instruments award for lowest emissions. This is the second first-place win for the snowmobile team in three years.
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Mini-Baja competition challenges students to design and build an off-road vehicle, then compete to have their design accepted by a fictitious manufacturer. Students gain experience not only in building a vehicle, but also in planning and manufacturing a new consumer product.
Powered by 10 horsepower Briggs & Stratton engines, the vehicles traverse several obstacle courses. At the 2006 Midwest competition, the UW-Madison
SAE Mini-Baja Team
placed first in the mud bog obstacle and seventh overall.
Sponsored by General Motors, the three-year
Challenge X
competition invites students to develop a fuel-efficient SUV. Seventeen universities across North America redesign a Chevrolet Equinox to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. In 2006, the UW-Madison
Challenge X Team
received second-place honors for its through-the-road parallel biodiesel electric hybrid, dubbed Moovada.
The team and vehicle also received a number of awards, including best acceleration, best technical presentation, the Dr. Donald Streit sportsmanship award, best engineering and fabrication workmanship, and outstanding long-term faculty advisor. For 2007, the team will work to tune and perfect Moovada, particularly in the areas of control and consumer acceptability.
Content by perspective@engr.wisc.edu
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Date last modified: 29-Mar-2006
Date created: 03-Feb-2006
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