Saving gas: Cal Poly students engineer vehicle that gets 1,900 mpg

SLO Tribune 4/22/07

By Sona Patel

A team of Cal Poly engineers won more than $20,000 for designing a vehicle that could virtually get a driver from San Luis Obispo to the southernmost tip of Texas on one gallon of gasoline.

The drawback: It’s going 15 mph. Nevertheless, that nifty car snagged praise from Shell Oil Co. for the eight-member team at an annual competition in Fontana.

The team, consisting mostly of mechanical engineering students, participated in the Shell Eco-marathon tour April 14.

Shell Oil Co. sponsors the annual event for students from the U.S. and Canada to design a vehicle that can travel the farthest distance using the least amount of conventional or alternative fuel.

Cal Poly’s Super Mileage Team won the challenge with its 1,9027.7 mpg vehicle dubbed “The Curbhopper.” The second-place finisher had a vehicle that got 1,637.2 mpg.

“I hope teams like ours will help shape the vehicles people drive years from now and that those vehicles will be more environmentally friendly,” said team manager Tom Heckel, a third-year mechanical engineering student.

Using mainly carbon fiber, the team was able to put together a single-driver, aerodynamic, lightweight vehicle with two tires in the front and one in the back. It’s equipped with a 189-milliliter gas tank.

The competition serves as a way for Shell to garner ideas for mobility that maximizes affordability and efficiency, said David Sexton, president of Shell Oil Products.

Heckel said the team started working nearly 40 hours per week leading up to the competition, especially during spring break.

The team swept three categories, taking home a total of $21,600 — $20,000 for winning first place overall, and an additional $1,600 for taking the top spot in the internal combustion engine class.

The vehicle was shown at 15 mph, but Heckel said its top speed was 45 mph.