Top Engineering Schools Hit Double the Fuel Efficiency
11 June 1998
FutureCar Challenge Does It: Top Engineering Schools In the Country Hit Double the Fuel EfficiencyAUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 10 -- After a year of long, hard hours, sleepless nights and nerve-wracking trial-and-error, two of the top engineering universities in North America have done what some said was impossible: they've doubled the over-the-road fuel efficiency of a mid-size American car without giving up any of the safety, comfort or performance. In a series of road tests conducted on the grounds of the Chrysler Technology Center, two teams of student engineers driving hybrid vehicles, demonstrated the equivalent of 75 miles per gallon of gasoline. Running on the same test course, a comparable gasoline-powered vehicle turned in a 37 mile per gallon performance. These fuel-stingy teams, from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and from Lawrence Technological University in Michigan, were also among the top finishers overall in the 1998 FutureCar Challenge. Wisconsin tied a team from Virginia Tech for first place while the Lawrence Tech team came in just behind them for a third place finish. The FutureCar Challenge is a competitive "race" to re-engineer the American family car of today into the super fuel-efficient car of the 21st century. Major sponsors are the U.S. Department of Energy and Chrysler, Ford and General Motors through the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR). Additional support is provided by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Natural Resources Canada, the Aluminum Association, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and the American Iron & Steel Institute. 1998 FutureCar Challenge Final Standings 1st Place Virginia Tech and University of Wisconsin at Madison (tie) 3rd Place Lawrence Technological University 4th Place Michigan Technological University 1998 FutureCar Challenge Special Awards: Most Energy Efficient: Ohio State University Best Acceleration: Virginia Tech Best Dynamic Handling: Virginia Tech Best Overall Engineering Design: Virginia Tech Lowest Emissions: University of Maryland Best Consumer Acceptability: Virginia Tech Innovations in Aluminum: University of Wisconsin at Madison