Armed with blow torches and hopes of victory, engineering students from across the world converged on the New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, N.H., on Monday to participate in the three-day Formula Hybrid International Competition hosted by the Thayer School of Engineering. Competing teams designed and built environmentally friendly cars to enter into the contest.
The Thayer team will face off Wednesday against other schools, including Yale University, Drexel University and Embry-Riddle University to test the endurance of each car.
"Wednesday is the endurance event -- can your car make it 22 kilometers without breaking down?" Wynne Washburn, deputy program director of the event, said.
The program started three and a half years ago after Washburn and program director Doug Fraser, a research engineer at Thayer, noticed the rising popularity of hybrid technology, Washburn said. Hybrid technology uses a combination of power from two smaller engines, usually gasoline and electric. The electric engine starts the car and initiates movement from a standstill and the gasoline engine gives the car more power as it gains speed. It also recharges the car's battery.
"We want to produce engineers who know how to push this technology and who know how to do it the best," Washburn said. "Thayer is trying to advance innovation and energy technology. I think right now we are leading the way in that, at least with hybrid technology."
Fraser added that the formula hybrid competition is in line with Thayer's overall objectives.
"One of the areas of specialty is energy-related issues," Fraser said. "The hybrid competition just made sense because it is energy related, promotes development of new technology and novelty development of hybrid cars."
Developing hybrid technology helps alleviate dependence on non-renewable energy sources, allowing engineers to investigate better technology, according to formula team captain Donald Zimmanck '07 Th'09.
"I personally think electric cars are the future," Zimmanck said. "I don't see any way to get around it, but it will be awhile before electric transportation is feasible. Hybrid technology is a good way to bridge the gap between the two, especially in the next 10 years."
Fraser noted that competition fosters the development of high efficiency drive trains and more efficient hybrid cars.
Alexandria Fecych '07 Th'08, one of the team's drivers, was looking forward to a victory for the Thayer team at the endurance event, she said. Fecych said she originally joined the team for credit in her Engineering 190 and Engineering 192 classes, but continued working on the car as a volunteer.
"It's a little cliche, but since Dartmouth is hosting the event, I think it would be really nice to see Dartmouth go home with first place," Fecych said. "I'm pretty sure there is no trophy, but we get the pride of everything working."
Zimmanck said a victory in the race would justify the time he has spent as a volunteer on the project.
"I would find a lot of personal satisfaction if we won," Zimmanck said. "I put a lot of effort in the car. The team has struggled to get organized and we pulled it together in the end."
