By John Lyons-Gould
We have seen the future, Mr. President, and it looks nothing like
a golf cart.
On June 11, more than 250 student engineers from
15 top North American universities began the summer with a roar when
they put their fuel-cell propulsion systems, space-age materials,
alternative fuels and hybrid electric design strategies to the test
in FutureTruck 2002. Their mission: to re-engineer a mid-size Ford
Explorer into a cleaner vehicle with at least 25 percent better fuel
economy. The catch: they have to do it without sacrificing the
Explorer's existing performance, utility, safety and
affordability.
Early in the 11-day event came the "duel in the desert," where
teams drove their modified Explorers through acceleration, off-road,
trailer towing and safety events at Ford's Arizona Proving Ground,
allaying any fears that these trucks were less macho than before the
modifications.
"In the classroom, answers are known. Out here, we had to learn
to deal with unknowns - real world situations. And it worked!" said
Texas Tech Team Leader Aaron Rogahn after five months of
round-the-clock 12-hour shifts by his team members payed off in a
working proton-exchange membrane fuel cell engine.
Next were the all-important emissions testing and greenhouse-gas
impact events hosted by the California Resources Board in El Monte
and the University of California at Riverside, where trucks either
met or failed California's Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle
Standards. Only at the consumer acceptability events at the
California Motor Speedway did judges get a chance to kick the tires
and shop around for things like roomy interiors and eye-pleasing
designs.
The judges awarded first place to the team from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison for its bio-diesel hybrid electric advanced
technology system that reduced the Explorer's greenhouse gas index
by 50 percent and increased fuel economy by 45 percent. Not bad. But
if students can do it, then why can't the Big Three? And how do the
successes at FutureTruck translate into real solutions for this
nation's auto industry?
FutureTruck comes on the heels of the Senate rejection of
Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards that would have given the
auto industry 10 years to make its cars and trucks get 35 miles per
gallon. The competition began the day after the Sierra Club launched
a three-year campaign to urge the Big Three automakers to apply
existing technology to their fleets that would significantly boost
fuel-efficiency and decrease our reliance on foreign oil (See Club to
Carmakers: Fewer Seat Warmers, More Miles Per Gallon).
"We believe in investing in new technology, and hybrids are a
good step," said Kate Simmons of the Sierra Club's Energy and Global
Warming Campaign. "But automakers have existing technology to
dramatically increase fuel efficiency in today's vehicles. It's
mind-boggling that they haven't already."
Ford Motor Company, the headline sponsor for the 2002 and 2003
events, called the epic quest of FutureTruck a "search for the
no-compromise vehicle." Ford donated $200,000 in seed money and
prizes, competition coordination, engineering consultants and, most
importantly, the vehicles to make the vision a reality.
Jon Harmon, public affairs manager for trucks and SUVs at Ford,
says it's no secret that the technology exists and offers promise.
"The challenge," he says, "is to integrate that technology into a
vehicle without sacrificing performance, offer it to consumers at a
reasonable cost, and be able to produce it on a mass scale. It's
frustrating when people want new technology sooner - it's up to the
company to ensure we have a reliable product."
What Ford calls the first true "no-compromise vehicle" to come on
the market, its Escape hybrid SUV, will hit the showroom in late
2003. With room for five, lots of cargo space, optional 4-wheel
drive and nearly 40 mpg in the city, Ford is hoping this vehicle
will change the public's conception of hybrid vehicles for good.
Ford hired two new engineers for its Escape hybrid team directly
from participants in the FutureTruck event.
"Brilliant ideas come from young minds, and this is just one more
avenue for industry to find solutions," says FutureTruck
spokesperson Kimberly Hippler.
Photo: The FutureTruck pit crew team from Ohio
State readies its fuel-efficient Ford Explorer for the "duel in the
desert" at the Arizona Proving Ground.
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