Tue Jun 15 15:43:58 2004 Pacific Time

Achieving 1,194 Miles Per Gallon, Rose-Hulman's Supermileage Car Places Third in Society of Automotive Engineers' Fuel Economy Competition
TERRE HAUTE, Ind., June 15 (AScribe Newswire) -- Engineering students at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology designed a fuel efficient one-person vehicle that achieved 1,194 miles per gallon of gasoline in the Society of Automotive Engineers' Supermileage Competition, conducted last weekend near Detroit.

That performance placed third out of 24 teams in the collegiate division, a remarkable achievement for a first-year team in the competition, according to Tom Edelmayer, a technical specialist for Eaton Corporation's Engine Air Management Operations. Eaton hosted the annual engineering contest at the company's vehicle proving grounds in Marshall, Mich.

Rose-Hulman engineering students designed and constructed a one-person vehicle that is powered by a highly modified single cylinder 3.5 horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine. The vehicle is eight feet long, 26 inches wide and weighed approximately 80 pounds. It has two wheels that provide steering in the front and a single drive wheel in the middle of the back. The main structure of the vehicle is provided by a honeycomb carbon-fiber panel which rests approximately a half inch above the pavement.

The vehicle completed six laps around the proving grounds (9.6 miles) while maintaining a minimum average speed of 15 miles per hour. Edelmayer said that a typical 9.6-mile run burns an average of about 14 grams of fuel, which weighs about as much as 14 paper clips. Each team's fuel is measured before and after each run. The difference is calculated to determine the contest winner.

The University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada) finished first in the collegiate class with 1,747.4 mpg. The California State University-Los Angeles placed second at 1,615.5 mpg. There were 24 teams in the division this year from the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico. Other colleges on the list included the University of California-Berkley, University of Toronto and Virginia Military Institute.

"People certainly took notice of our performance this year. Achieving over 1,000 mpg is quite an accomplishment, especially for the first year," stated Rose-Hulman Supermileage Vehicle Team President Matt Neisen.

Nine of the team's 25 members traveled to the competition. Joining Neisen were vice president Rob Lally, driver Brittney Elkins and members Tim Berowski, John Frey, Elliot Goodman, Michael Haughney, Joshua Persels, and faculty advisor Richard Stamper.

Rose-Hulman's team is supported by Caterpillar, Rose-Hulman Ventures and Rose-Hulman's Student Government Association.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Matt Neisen, president, Rose-Hulman Supermileage Vehicle Team, 309-578-3226 (summer work office); 812-204-1854 (cell)

Richard Stamper, faculty adviser, mechanical engineering professor, 812-877-8956

Society of Automotive Engneers' Supermileage Competition Web site: http://www.sae.org/students/supermw.htm