|
University of Alberta students in mechanical
and electrical recently unveiled FutureTruck 2003 and announced
that they are fired up for a North America-wide competition.
The test of their designs was underway early this month in
Michigan.
What is the FutureTruck 2003 challenge? To build a Ford SUV
designed for lower emissions and 25 per cent higher fuel economy
- keeping performance, utility, safety and affordability as
design guidelines.
Over the past eight months, U of A engineering students have
put together a powerful hybrid electric vehicle that runs
on ethanol fuel to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Now it's
time to test its performance.
The FutureTruck 2003 team travelled to Ford's Michigan Proving
Grounds to compete against 14 U.S. teams. They are the only
Canadians in the competition. This year's competition took
place from June 2 - 12 in Michigan.
Natural Resources Canada is a sponsor of Future Truck 2003
and of the U of A team. "Encouraging our next generation
of automotive engineers to keep the environment in mind as
they design tomorrow's vehicles is essential," said the
Hon. Herb Dhaliwal, minister of natural resources. "We
have ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
in the transportation sector, and with our brightest young
minds at work, I'm sure we'll succeed."
Dean of Engineering Dr. David Lynch, P.Eng., sent his students
off with the following words of encouragement. "The Faculty
of Engineering is an international leader in clean energy
research. The FutureTruck 2003 competition provides an excellent
opportunity for us to demonstrate our support of Canada's
goal of a environmentally sound future."
|
