This morning, a collection of bizarre looking vehicles made by students from 30 technical schools nationwide will begin circling the track at the San Yang Transport Safety Education Center (三陽工業交通安全駕駛教育中心) in Hsinchu county (新竹縣). Their aim: to complete a 10km course in under 30 minutes using the least quantity of fuel.
Called the "supermileage" competition, it is an offshoot of similar events hosted by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) in the US.
PHOTO: IAN BARTHOLOMEW
At the Kuang Wu Institute of Technology and Commerce (私立光武工商專科學校), Huang Chi-jun (黃啟浚) and his team were busy trying out their vehicle on the school's running track. "We just want to do better than the seniors from last year," Huang said, saying they had little chance of beating the record set by Da Yeh University (大葉大學) students who achieved a breakthrough with 757.4km/liter, a huge leap forward from the previous record of 386.9km/liter. Ta Yeh University, an off-shoot of Da Yeh Heavy Industries (大葉重工業), is again a strong competitor for this competition, and will be one of only three schools entering the newly created hybrid car category this year.
PHOTO: IAN BARTHOLOMEW
Huang said his team felt confident they will beat the approximately 100km/liter achieved by students last year. "In tests we have achieved over 300km to the liter, and that's something," he said. The SAE Collegiate Design Supermileage competition for 2000 in the US was won by St Thomas Academy with a result of approximately 480.15km/liter. According to Stev Kuo (郭守穗), chairman of the SAE's Taipei branch, results achieved with commercial backing are in excess of 2,000km/liter, but this kind of fuel efficiency is only achieved with massive investment.
Kuo was the driving spirit behind the creation of the Taiwan supermileage competition nine years ago. "Back then, teaching at university, I felt that engineering students had less opportunity for hands-on experimentation than science students. Chemistry lab and so on are relatively cheap -- for engineers, coursework was increasingly theory oriented, and with the advent of CAD, even design was computerized." The competition then sprang from his urge to "inspire creativity" among engineering students and give them hands-on experience.
"Students should learn to grasp the practical difficulties that they face," Kuo said.
Huang was enthusiastic about the practical side of the exercise. "[In looking for parts], we got to know a lot of mechanics. They know stuff our teachers don't, because they have so much hands-on experience." This real-world contact would normally have had to wait until after graduation when he entered the workforce. "School and work are two totally different worlds," Huang said.
The Taiwan Supermileage Competition (中華民國超級省油車製作競賽) is similar to the SAE Collegiate Design Supermileage competition in that vehicles must have at least three wheels and the driver must be completely enclosed. A full fuel tank is distributed to competitors before the race, and some other components of the vehicles are standardized. For the most part, however, teams can use whatever materials they choose.
The vehicle that Huang and his team have built has been nick-named Viagra. "We hope it will last longer," Huang said. Its unconventional yellow fiberglass shell is the pride and joy of Chung Chin-liang (鍾金良), who headed up the body design section of the team. The vehicle is a bit heavy at 50kg, admitted Huang, but the effort put into making it aesthetically appealing is evident. In addition to fuel efficiency, the competition also has a design category, in which Chung hopes Viagra might be able to place.
Many teams place a premium on the design category, hopeful of recognition from the panel of judges that will include senior design and R&D executives from major auto firms this year. Kuo emphasized that students are also awarded a certificate of participation in this event, a document that could significantly improve their chances of landing a good job in the automotive industry after graduation.
On the Kwang Wu running track, a group of night school students were also testing out a vehicles which they plan to enter in the competition next year. "Because most of them work, they are able to afford a greater outlay," Huang said. This second group's vehicle has a shell of carbon fiber, which is much lighter than the fiberglass used for Viagra. "They had to contribute around NT$10,000 each for the project," Huang said.
Chang Rong-hua (張榮華), editor of Autobike (風火輪), which has covered the event since its conception, said that it is a valuable exercise in providing practical training for Taiwan's up-and-coming automotive engineers.
"The students can take on this project as part of the course work," he said. "It is a valuable shift away from a heavily theoretical curriculum."
The main challenge for all the teams is to improve transmission to maximize engine efficiency and reduce resistance. "We have experimented with all kinds of materials, but it all costs money," said Huang. He estimated that the team spent around NT$13,000 putting Viagra together.
While the event is supported by a number of Taiwan's auto firms such as Ford Lio Ho Motor Company (福特六合), Yulon Motor Company (裕隆) and China Motor Corp (中華汽車), Kuo pointed out that the competition is not affected by commercial considerations. "It is called a supermileage competition, by which we mean that any method at all can be used to achieve fuel efficiency. Many of these methods are not commercially viable, but some of the principles might be carried over into the commercial realm," Kuo said.
The distance event also brings into play a variety of unconventional driving skills. "Coasting is permitted," Kuo said, and it is important to pace the vehicle, knowing when to coast and when to use the engine -- a kind of experience that is only built up through long involvement in the event.
For the first time in Taiwan, a hybrid car category has been introduced into the competition, for vehicles combining electrical and gasoline power supplies. Ta Yeh University will enter one of the three vehicles in this category, which will only be a demonstration event. "We are still working out the rules for that category," Kuo said.
The competition has considerable support from industry and the educational establishment, and much is made of the benefits such events have for inculcating the virtues of fuel efficiency. But for Huang, "its fun, but doesn't really have that much relevance to the commercial world."
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