Cars that keep going . . . and going
Students on quest for fuel efficiency
Student tinkerers from around the world have descended on MIT to build five cars powered so efficiently that they would not need to stop for fuel even once on a trip from Boston to Seattle.
The 50 students are taking part in an eight-week summer program called the Vehicle Design Summit , the inspiration of two MIT students, senior Anna Jaffe and junior Robyn Allen , and Olin College sophomore Matthew Ritter . They expect each car to get at least 300 miles to the gallon, or the equivalent.
``With the explosive growth of car use in India and China, it's important to do this now, not wait 10 years for manufacturing to turn around," said Jaffe.
Cars that get more than 100 miles per gallon of fuel aren't new; in May, a car powered by ethanol won the European Shell Eco-marathon by getting nearly 1,800 miles to the liter, or about 8,000 miles to the gallon. The winning designers were a team of French high school students.
What's new is that the MIT summit's participants, since they're not in a competition, don't want to hide the designs and technologies they're using. They want to share them.
``We're throwing the competition mentality out the window," said Allen. ``We want people to take our work and run with it."
The 50 students, representing 21 universities and 13 countries, were divided into five teams, each working on a different vehicle.
One car will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells, and there is hope that recyclable materials will provide 90 percent of its parts.
Another vehicle will run on biofuels, such as ethanol or canola oil. A sketch of the car's design makes it appear to be straight from the Jetsons, with a rounded, all-glass roof.
One group's project is to modify a
The fifth car is an ``assisted human-powered vehicle" or AHPV ; not quite Flintstone style, but like a bicycle in a fiberglass shell. Solar cells would provide a power boost for pedaling up hills or on longer commutes.
Jaffe expects the AHPV to be the most energy-efficient, and that car is the furthest along. In the giant laboratory and machine shop in Building 33 known as the Hangar , students cut foam panels with an ultra-accurate, high-temperature water stream and then stack them into the shapes they will use to mold the car's shell.
The AHPV will have three wheels, two in front and one behind the driver . After a series of tests, the students decided that having the driver in a recumbent position provided the most comfort and power, said Nii Armar , a recent MIT graduate and a member of the executive team .
``We're not talking a Lance Armstrong kind of driver," said one member of the A-team , as AHPV creators call themselves. ``We're thinking of this for the average user."
``We know that a solar car can go 80 miles per hour and a person unassisted can go 80 miles per hour " in some super-aerodynamic bicycles, said organizer Ritter, ``so we thought we should combine the two technologies. People store energy much more efficiently than a battery. ``We want to work with the major car manufacturers," said Allen.
The executive team of Jaffe, Allen, Ritter, and Armar worked 14-hour days to raise nearly $200,000 in cash and services for the project, and say they are constantly looking for more donations.
They purchased the Honda and stripped another of its parts to modify the body.
They're on the phone daily with engineers at major auto companies and have had tremendous support from them. But the students have no plans for contracts or payback -- they say they just want the carmakers to catch up with the latest technology.
They have even spoken with design engineers at McLaren , the high-end British race car maker, said Jaffe.
When they can't afford to buy something, they go to large firms, hoping for a sponsor.
``All the cars would be brown if we'd gotten UPS on board," said Jaffe.
One local company, Feldman Professional Land Surveyors , scanned the Honda Insight for them to produce a ``soft," or computer, model of the car the students could manipulate onscreen before modifying the body. Another local venture, A123 Systems , supplied their battery packs.
Allen hopes to take the five cars cross-country -- after they've passed safety tests -- to parade the technology on the 50th anniversary year of the interstate highway system. The cars would stop at auto industry points and universities along the way.
``It continues to amaze me that three people had this idea and within two months, 50 of our colleagues are here," Allen said. ``I'm amazed by the power of a great idea."
