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Now that the Year Two Finals are over, the Missouri S&T EcoCAR team is spending the summer making improvements to its vehicle. The team is focused on repackaging the Electrical Storage System, relocating the HVAC system to the rear of the vehicle, calibration of hydrogen detectors and finishing the installation of new fire suppression system in the EcoCAR garage.
The S&T Outreach team has also been busy! In May, the team attended the St. Louis Regional Clean Cities event in St. Louis, Missouri. During the EV Workshop, they learned about the development of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. In early June, the EcoCAR team also participated in the Rolla Summerfest in Downtown Rolla. At the event, the team got an opportunity to showcase their advanced vehicle technology research and spread awareness about the competition.
This week, the team is running an exciting EcoCAR Summer Camp! The pre-college camp will give high school students an idea of what it’s like to work with hydrogen FC-PHEV. The highlights of the week will be working on Unigraphics NX, conducting fuel cell vehicle simulations, performing total fuel cycle well-to-wheel modeling and a visit to the EcoCAR garage.
The S&T team is excited for what is in store in Year Three of the competition! The next big event for the team is Homecoming 2010 on October 1 in the EcoCAR garage. The day is being organized by Angela Rolufs, director of the Missouri Transportation Institute and MS&T can’t wait to participate!
Clockwise from L to R: S&T at the Year Two Finals, Rolla Summerfest, EcoCAR Summer Camp 2010 and St. Louis Regional Clean Cities workshop
Many EcoCAR students live every day like it’s Earth Day, but on April 22, several teams held special events in recognition of Earth Day 2010. Read about the celebrations below for ideas on how to make Earth Day 2011 an even better event on your own campus.
Every year, Georgia Tech hosts an Earth Day event for more than 3,000 people and 70 exhibitors. This year, the theme was “Celebrate Our World” and featured eco-friendly giveaways, recycling opportunities, a clothing swap, office supply exchange, live music, and organic popcorn. The Georgia Tech EcoCAR team was on site and shared the team’s efforts to create a greener Earth.
Georgia Tech's EcoCAR display at the Earth Day event
Penn State’s Advanced Vehicle Technologies (AVT) team celebrated Earth Day by joining forces with other organizations on campus to hand out eco-friendly freebies and participate in green trivia. The highlight of the day was a water bottle exchange – each student that recycled a plastic water bottle received a free reusable bottle. The response was overwhelming and the Penn State team donated the plastic bottles to an organization that was building an eco-house out of bottles on campus.
Penn State students participating in the water bottle exchange
Virginia Tech’s Hybrid Electric Team (HEVT) participated in Earth Week on campus, promoting alternative clean transportation like riding the bus, walking or biking to class. Students who don’t drive to campus received a free t-shirt and were entered into a raffle for a free bike.
The team’s extended-range electric EcoCAR was on display on campus, alongside an all electric vehicle, a hybrid and a biodiesel bus. Towards the end of the event HEVT even got to show off their vehicle running in all electric mode!
Virginia Tech's EcoCAR on display during Earth Week
The Missouri S&T EcoCAR team talked to more than 1,000 local students about the importance of renewable energy, clean energy, and energy conservation on Earth Day. The theme of the school’s annual celebration was, “Be Green! Keep the Planet Clean.”
Take a look at the Missouri S&T Earth Day festivities in the video below!
We’d love to hear how YOU celebrated Earth Day this year!
In early March, the Missouri S&T EcoCAR team exhibited at the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Work Truck Show. The NTEA show is hosted for the work truck industry in a different city each year. This year, the MS&T EcoCAR team attended the show in St Louis, MO.
Missouri S&T EcoCAR was one of approximately 5,000 booths at NTEA, ranging from large companies like General Motors to specialty parts businesses. Energy efficiency was a strong focus at the show, and the MS&T team met with several groups that advocate for renewable energy including, Clean Cities. During the show, attendees stopped by the MS&T booth to learn about EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge. Small hydrogen fuel cell vehicles were displayed at the booth and used to explain how hydrogen will power Missouri S&T’s EcoCAR. As people stopped by the Missouri S&T booth, they were asked to take part in an Alternative Energy Vehicle survey. Click here to see the survey results.
MS&T students talking to NTEA Work Truck Show attendees about energy efficiency
The event was a large success as Missouri S&T was able to spread the word about the EcoCAR program. Many attendees were interested to hear about the EcoCAR’s advanced vehicle technology and how it will benefit society.
Attendees interested in learning more about the EcoCAR competition
The Missouri S&T EcoCAR team discussed its commitment to educating people about green energy and the importance of conservation and efficiency during Legislative Day at Missouri’s State Capitol earlier this month. The event included research groups from the University of Missouri’s four campuses: Mizzou, UM-Kansas City, UM-Saint Louis, and Missouri S&T.
MS&T electrical engineering student, David Lecko, talking to attendees about the EcoCAR program
During the day, the team spoke with legislators, members of the community, student lobbyists, the student leadership of Missouri 4-H, and engineering students and alumni from universities throughout Missouri. It was a successful event for the MS&T team because many attendees expressed an interest in sustainable and clean energy.
MS&T team member, Sundeep Bande, posing with Mizzou alumni at Legislative Day
At the end of February, the Missouri S&T EcoCAR team gathered in its garage to remove everything gasoline-related from its GM-donated vehicle. The process started early in the morning with hydrogen, electrical, and mechanical safety training. The team then split into two groups. One group prepared the engine for removal and the other detached the fuel lines and gas tank. Once the components were disconnected, the car was lifted away from its gas engine.
A close-up of the engine drop!
As the students stripped the car of its power-train and fuel source, their EcoCAR came one step closer to the power of lithium-ion batteries and a hydrogen fuel cell. The Missouri S&T team has spent the last year and a half designing its EcoCAR. They now look forward to the design becoming a reality. For more updates, check out the team’s Web site and Twitter stream.
The video below walks through the process of removing the gasoline - very cool!
It is hard to believe that it snowed in Daytona Beach this weekend, but the Winter Workshop was a great success nonetheless.
Below, the teams shared a few highlights with the Inside the Green Garage blog:
Not only did the University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team (UWAFT) win first place for best technical poster, their most memorable moment came at the Daytona 500 Experience. One of UWAFT’s outreach coordinators, Eric Mallia, managed to successfully operate the air wrench to execute a full-speed NASCAR pit-stop in 16 seconds!
UWAFT's Eric Mallia at the NASCAR pit-stop
The Missouri S&T team was thrilled to be able to watch the Le Mans Racing Series time trails from the infield stands of the Daytona 500 race track. The team was excited to see and hear the race cars as they drove around the track and they were close enough to see the red light on the tachometer as the drivers were shifting!
The Ohio State team took home third place in the technical poster competition, ending their week on a high note! The poster represented the vehicle architecture and simulations that were used to develop the team’s Hardware in the Loop (HIL) designs. Ohio State enjoyed taking a break from working on their car to spend time with the other teams and remember the work they’re doing to advance green technology.
- The Texas Tech team on their way home from Daytona!
Earlier this month, Dr. John Sheffield, the Missouri S&T EcoCAR faculty advisor and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, gave a presentation to the Rolla Rotary Club. Dr. Sheffield discussed the team’s participation in the EcoCAR competition, the future of the automobile industry and hydrogen fuel-cell technology.
Listen to his presentation below!
The Missouri S&T EcoCAR attracted a lot of attention during the school’s homecoming weekend. The EcoCAR was prominently displayed during the alumni reception and the Missouri S&T team was on hand to discuss its participation in the EcoCAR Challenge with visiting alums. The team also attended a tailgating party at Fairgrounds Auto Plaza, the local GM dealership in Rolla, Missouri. Bill Peach, owner of Fairgrounds, grilled free hamburgers and hotdogs for over 75 hungry Miners fans.
The MS&T team would like to thank Mr. Peach for his support!
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- The Missouri S&T EcoCAR at Homecoming 2009
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- Homecoming tailgate at Fairgrounds Auto Plaza
This video features the Missouri S&T EcoCAR team kicking off Energy Awareness Month at ”GM Day.”
Enjoy!
Click on Brochure to Register for EcoCAR Camp
At Missouri University of Science and Technology, we’ve developed a new “equation”, i.e. E³= C, which stands for Energy, the Environment and Education equals Civilization. That formula is more than a clever play on Einstein’s theory of relativity. It also forms the foundation of our energy and sustainability initiatives at Missouri S&T. And, just as Einstein’s equation E=MC2 radically changed the way we view the universe, so too is E³= C is altering the way Missouri S&T approaches matters of energy production and conservation and environmental sustainability, i.e. “Green.”
Currently, Missouri S&T is building a renewable energy facility “E³Commons” which includes a hydrogen fueling station, a renewable energy power park (solar PV / wind / hydrogen fuel cell) and a student EcoCAR Team garage for the Missouri S&T EcoCAR team’s vehicle. The EcoCAR Challenge is a three-year collegiate competition that challenges universities across North America to build a sustainable vehicle utilizing different advanced technology solutions—each team will eventually integrate their plans into an actual vehicle, a 2009 Saturn Vue. The team was selected to design a cutting-edge hydrogen fuel cell plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (FC PHEV).
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