Contact: Robbie Ward
Mississippi State's EcoCar team again is earning high rankings in international competition involving 17 North America institutions.
At a recent winter workshop, the university ranked first in Web design and third in computer modeling and simulation. MSU was the only team placing in both of the event's competition categories.
The EcoCar competition is a three-year vehicle redesign project to make a 2009 Saturn VUE "greener" and more energy efficient.
MSU's team of about 40 students and their counterparts at other schools each received a conventional vehicle for the challenge, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors, the Canadian government, and a number of other organizations.
Team leader Matthew C. Doude, a MSU mechanical engineering graduate student from McCool, said the EcoCar Winter Workshop was held in Daytona Beach, Fla. Ohio State and Virginia Tech universities placed first and second, respectively, in the computer modeling, or "hardware-in-the-loop," challenge, he added.
Doude said wins by the OSU and VT teams demonstrate the stiff challenge MSU's team will face in May, when the second year of EcoCar officially begins at GM's proving grounds in Yuma, Ariz. MSU placed third overall in 2009 competition.
Along with the vehicle redesign, competition organizers place a strong emphasis on spreading the message of "greener" vehicle technology through the competition. In this category, MSU's Web site, www.ecocar.msstate.edu, placed first.
Team webmaster Matthew L. "Matt" Williams, a senior business information systems major from Ridgeland, said the Internet site is accessible to social media and has a mobile viewing component for "smart phones."
Brian P. Benoy of Dallas, Texas, an electrical engineering graduate student and controls group leader, said "hardware-in-the-loop" involved detailed computer illustrations of the vehicle's operation. Computer modeling simulators allow engineers to enhance a vehicle using hundreds of mathematical formulas, he explained.
"In the engineering world, you want to break something on the computer before you do it on the actual vehicle," Benoy said. "It saves lots of time and money."
Presently, the team meets daily as they build the hybrid vehicle. The original engine, transmission and powertrain were removed to accommodate hybrid components that include lithium ion battery technology, electric plug-in and renewable fuels capabilities, and powertrain diversity.
In separate, but similar, vehicle redesign competitions several years ago, MSU was the international winner. Many students involved in that challenge went on to work with automotive and other related companies after graduation.
Other current team leaders and their areas of responsibility include (by hometown):
BRANDON--Elizabeth B. Butler, a graduate student in business administration, outreach coordinator [Parents: Stephen and Beth Butler]; and
BRENTWOOD, Tenn.--Junior mechanical engineering major Joshua C. "Josh" Hoop, battery integration [Parents: Louis and Cathy Hoop];
BROOKHAVEN--Sophomore chemical engineering major Julian M. McMillan, emissions group [Parents: Cecil and Silvia McMillan];
FLORENCE--Senior mechanical engineering major Ryan A. Williams, mechanical group leader [Parents: Dwight and Debbie Williams];
HELENA, Ark.--Palmer L. Burks, a graduate student in electrical engineering, electrical group [Parents: Gary and Ciri Burks];
PICAYUNE--Michael L. Barr, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, powertrain group [Parents: Michael and Trudi Barr].