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| * Purdue University College of Engineering |
May 1, 2008
Purdue's solar vehicle beats competition in Eco-marathon Americas
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A team of Purdue University students finished first in the solar category of the 2008 Shell Eco-marathon Americas held in April at the California Speedway in Fontana, Calif.The event drew 300 students on 32 teams from four high schools and 23 universities from Canada, Mexico and the United States. The teams had to design, build and drive a vehicle the farthest distance using the least amount of fuel.
The Purdue team, which constructed a three-wheel solar-powered car called the Pulsar, achieved the equivalent of 2,861.8 miles per gallon, the best of any of the vehicles competing. The entries included 25 vehicles powered by combustion engines, four by fuel cell/hydrogen technology, one by diesel fuel, one by liquid petroleum gas and two by solar power.
The Purdue team won $1,600 for the first-place finish in the solar division.
Students involved in the project included: Bill Waltke, senior, aeronautics and astronautics, St. Louis; Josh Kaufman, senior, electrical and computer engineering, Dyer, Ind.; Mimi LaBerta, junior, materials science, Mill Creek, Wash.; Eleanor Cole, junior, materials science, Lafayette; Jeff Kubasik, junior, electrical and computer engineering, Crown Point, Ind.; Jennifer Long, junior, science, Fort Wayne, Ind.; Joe Trefilek, sophomore, electrical and computer engineering; St. Charles, Ill.; Ted Pesyna, sophomore, mechanical engineering, Carmel, Ind.; Cole Skelton, sophomore, mechanical engineering, Bloomington, Ind.; Mark Welch, senior, aviation technology, Churubusco, Ind.; and Matt Romanotto, a December 2007 aeronautics and astronautics graduate, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Faculty advisers were Galen King, professor of mechanical engineering, and Heather Cooper, assistant professor of mechanical engineering technology.
Mater Dei High School, of Evansville, Ind., won the $10,000 grand prize when its combustion vehicle achieved 2,843.4 miles per gallon. Purdue's solar-powered vehicle could not compete for the grand prize because it didn't burn fuel.
Other category winners were:
Diesel: The College of the Redwoods, Eureka, Calif., 304.5 mpg.
LPG: Schurr High School, Montebello, Calif., 163.5 mpg.
Fuel cell: Penn State University, 1,668.3 mpg.
"The Shell Eco-marathon is just one of the ways that we can support young scientists and technicians as they work on creative ideas to solve our energy situation," said David Sexton, president of Shell Oil Products United States.
The Eco-marathon concept started as the Shell Mileage Marathon in 1939 between employees of Shell at a research laboratory in Wood River, Ill. Today, the Americas event extends to student teams from across North and South America. In Europe, the 2008 Eco-marathon project will take place May 22-24 in Nogaro Circuit, France. The 2007 European event attracted team from 20 countries.
Writer: Clyde Hughes, (765) 494-2073, jchughes@purdue.edu
Sources: Galen King, (765) 494-6518, kinggb@purdue.edu
John D. Sanderson, (765) 494-9769, sanderjd@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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