On Saturday, February 27, eighteen Milwaukee High School students visited the UW Hybrid Vehicle Team shop to find out what the EcoCAR Challenge was all about and to get a look at the Team’s hands-on engineering work. A tour of the shop was conducted by Kevin Schneider, Brian Lee, and Will O’Connor, each of whom explained the various modifications to project vehicle as part of the Team’s EcoCAR Challenge effort.  The tour also included a quick look at the work being done by other UW teams in the shop, such as on the Formula, Snowmobile, and Baja projects.  Many of the Milwaukee High School students expressed interest in studying engineering at the University of Wisconsin.  They were impressed with the EcoCAR Challenge vehicle and the especially liked the view from underneath the car.  The Hybrid Team’s hard work in this collaborative hands-on engineering effort was evident to the visiting students. “It’s a lot of work and we put in a lot of hours,” said sophomore Will O’Connor, “but the payoff is huge”.  By sharing their passion for developing next-generation vehicle technology, the Hybrid Team may have helped influence a group of Milwaukee High School students to become the next-generation UW Hybrid team.

The Hybrid Vehicle Team, GM and NCSU will participate in an open panel to answer all your questions about hybrid technology Thursday, February 25th at 2:00pm CST. Join us here or at GM Fastlane Blog to participate and ask your question!

**A post from the Green Garage Blog

What is it like to build a “green” car from scratch? How far can an EcoCAR drive on a tank of gas? Where does an A123Systems battery go in an electric car? What decision did one EcoCAR team poll the entire campus about? These questions and many more will be answered on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 3 p.m. ET right here on the Inside the Green Garage blog during a live Web chat with the North Carolina State University and University of Wisconsin EcoCAR teams.

UW Alum Daniel Mehr talks about his work in Challenge X and how it helped prepare him for a job at GM.

This video “Collegiate competitions like Ecocar launch careers for aspiring engineers” can be found at the green garage blog.

Take a look to see Mehr, Challenge X team photos with the vehicle and of course Bessie.

The Hybrid Vehicle Team, Formula Team and Society of Women in Engineering bared the cold for the chance to tailgate before the Camp Randall Hockey Classic annual outdoor hockey game.

The EcoCAR, SAE formula racing vehicle, the Bucky Wagon and 20 engineering students set up shop in front of Camp Randall stadium as the Badger women took on Bemidji State Beavers before the men’s team battled the Michigan Wolverines.

Conveniently parked between fan-packed Lot 17 and Engineering Centers warm, indoor bathrooms, alumni and students couldn’t resist the opportunity to stop by for hot chocolate and talk about hybrid vehicles with the EcoCAR. With the music and cheers echoing from Camp Randall next door, this tailgate spot was the place to be.

The students had a great time grilling burgers and fraternizing with Badger fans outside in the last tailgate opportunity before next football season. After the hot chocolate ran out, the team was invited to the top of Lot 17 by alumni fans to continue the festivities by —as long as they brought duck tape to fix a broken boot. Thanks to all the Badger fans that came to support the vehicle teams! On Wisconsin!

Snap-on representatives traveled from headquarters in Kenosha, Wisconsin to the University of Wisconsin for a personal shop tour. The evening began with team introductions over pizza before heading into the shop. Snap-on reps eagerly looked under the hood to learn about the team’s design.

“Snap-on is delighted to be working with the EcoCar Challenge this year and specifically the talented Ohio State University team which has proven itself a top contender in the overall competition,” says Snap-on Innovation Works representative Dan Ramirez. “We deeply value the opportunity to support and work with the bright minds that will be shaping the cars of the future in what has been called one of the most exciting times for the automotive industry.”

The team values the tool set received by Wisconsin neighbor, Snap-on, earlier in the academic school year and has put it to great use on the vehicle during the second year of the EcoCAR competition, which focuses on vehicle construction.

 http://buckywagon.wordpress.com/ 

http://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/020410aaa.html

The UW Hybrid Vehicle team is very busy this week preparing for a visit from tool sponsor, Snap-on, and a fun tailgate before the Camp Randall Hockey Classic.

Snap-on will travel to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Hybrid Vehicle Team Wednesday, February 3 at 5:00 pm in Engineering Centers Building, 1550 Engineering Drive for a tool donation reception.

Headquartered in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Snap-on is the official tool sponsor of the EcoCAR competition.

Snap-on Innovation Works representative Dan Ramirez says, “Snap-on is delighted to be working with the EcoCar Challenge this year and specifically the talented UW team which has proven itself a top contender in the overall competition.”

Ramirez adds, “We deeply value the opportunity to support and work with the bright minds that will be shaping the cars of the future in what has been called one of the most exciting times for the automotive industry.  There is much we can learn today from each team as they forge ahead into the frontier of new automotive technologies and build a bridge to the automotive future.”

Come warm up your engines with hot chocolate and hybrid vehicles before the Camp Randall Hockey Classic!

The UW Hybrid Vehicle Team will host a tailgate Saturday, February 6 from 1-5 pm outside of the South entrance of Engineering Centers Building, 1550 Engineering Drive.

You won’t want to miss it!

Last week’s kick-off meeting was a success! The team welcomed new members and got to work right away. Mechanical team member Drew Kosmoski led the re-packaging of a Delphi DU174 motor. Now that the motor is in shape for the team’s needs, the next step will include installing a new output shaft. Watch the process below.

The UW Hybrid Team will host its spring kick-off meeting this Friday, January 22, at 3:30 p.m. in 1106 Mechanical Engineering (3M Auditorium). 

We are always looking for more help! Absolutely no experience is necessary and all skill levels are welcome. Being active in the team is a great way to meet new people while developing hands-on engineering and business skills that will set you apart from your peers.

The first step is to subscribe to our mailing list to stay up to date on meetings and events. If you can’t make the kick-off, our all-team meeting is held every Friday at 3:30pm in Tong Auditorium in Engineering Centers Building. We hope to see you there!