FutureTruck Results

Advanced Battery Technology, Jul 2004

Students from the University of Wisconsin - Madison took top honors at this year's final FutureTruck challenge by re-engineering a 2002 Ford Explorer to achieve a 33% increase in fuel economy and a 50% reduction in emissions over the stock vehicle. The winning vehicle, a parallel hybrid that uses a compression-ignition engine with an advanced catalyst system capable of achieving super ultra-low emission vehicle (SULEV) level emissions, also met the competition's safety and performance requirements.

The FutureTruck competition attracted 15 engineering teams from universities across North America. The second place vehicle, re-engineered by students at the Pennsylvania State University, is a hybrid electric vehicle that uses a 2.5L common-rail diesel engine and an AC induction electric motor. Penn State implemented a urea selective catalytic reduction system, among other measures, to significantly reduce diesel emissions. The Georgia Institute of Technology was awarded third place overall with a split-parallel through-the-road hybrid powertrain with an AC induction electric motor that drives the front wheels and a six-cylinder engine that drives the rear wheels - a design that would allow the hybrid-electric powertrain to be a factory option.

Now in its third year, the competition has challenged more than 1,000 of the best and brightest engineering students from the United States and Canada with reengineering a sport utility vehicle to improve fuel economy by 25% and reduce emissions while maintaining the vehicle's performance, utility and safety. This year's competition, held at Ford's facilities in Romeo and Allen Park, Michigan, was the grand finale of the program. Teams squared off in eight days of vehicle testing that measured acceleration, towing ability, fuel economy, off-road performance and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Wisconsin - Madison team used a Ford Lynx 1.8L compression-ignition engine in conjunction with a modified Delphi EV1 AC induction motor in a post-transmission parallel hybrid. A selective catalytic reduction catalyst and paniculate filter helped Wisconsin strive for SULEV emissions. Six teams achieved better on-road fuel economy in this year's contest, and the Wisconsin - Madison vehicle had the highest improvement in fuel economy at 33%. Ten teams managed to maintain or exceed the base Explorer's performance while lowering environmental impact through greenhouse gas emissions; the vehicle with the greatest reduction in greenhouse gas emissions belonged to, you guessed it, University of Wisconsin - Madison.

The remaining teams that participated in the FutureTruck finale included California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Cornell University; Michigan Technological University; Ohio State University; Texas Tech University; University of Alberta; University of California, Davis; University of Idaho; University of Maryland; University of Tennessee; Virginia Tech, and West Virginia University.

Ford Motor Co. and the U.S. Department of Energy were the headline sponsors for the FutureTruck 2004. Argonne National Laboratory, a DOE R&D facility, provided competition management, technical and logistical support. Other sponsors included the National Science Foundation; Delphi; The MathWorks; ArvinMeritor; National Instruments; Visteon; Natural Resources Canada; BP; Michigan Proving Ground; Alien Park Test Laboratory; Dana; Motorola; Aluminum Association; Ricardo, Inc.; and AAA Michigan.

After FutureTruck concludes, DOE will launch a new three-year advanced vehicle technology competition, Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainability. Visit http://www.futuretruck.org for more information on FutureTruck or www.challengex.org for information on Challenge X.