Lawrence Tech Hybrid Car Takes First in NY-DC Tour de Sol Competition
24 May 2000
Lawrence Tech Hybrid Car Takes First in NY-DC Tour de Sol CompetitionSOUTHFIELD, Mich., May 23 With hard work and good fortune come rewards. That is what a tired group of Lawrence Technological University engineering students and faculty believe after taking first place in the national Tour de Sol competition -- a five day road rally from New York City, N.Y., to Washington D.C. sponsored by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association. Official results were released Monday by NESEA. The hard work started last September when the Lawrence Tech engineering students from throughout southeast Michigan began working on "ED" (Electric Diesel) -- a converted Ford Taurus fitted into a hybrid configuration with a diesel engine and an electric motor. A mixed bag of vehicles in a variety of categories, from electric scooters to hybrids to production electric mini-vans, left New York City to be tested for design, consumer acceptability, performance, endurance and mileage at different stages along the five days. "We found problems before they became problems," said Nick Brancik, engineering associate and staff advisor to Lawrence Tech's team. "We never put the car in the trailer. We unloaded it the first day, and it was on the road the whole time and only went back in the trailer for the trip home. It just kept on running." Good fortune came to the team on day three of Tour de Sol. Although the day started looking gloomy when Dave Ahomed, checking the transmission fluid, found that engine mount bolts had come off the car. While the majority of the car up front in the engine compartment is in metric, the needed bolts were in a common standard size. A trip to a nearby hardware store provided the necessary parts, and the car was ready to run five minutes before the autocross event was closed. Steve Granke, one of three drivers, got behind the wheel and piloted an autocross masterpiece. "The car handled like a champ," he said. "ED's look and design was better than a lot of cars out there." "The students who drove understood the car. They did a good job. So we kept them in the car," Brancik said. "We did well in all of the range events. We did well in everything. The car never broke down. It's a good car." Words quickly echoed by the student leader of the project -- Katherine Beebee. "Not one major breakdown. Not one," she said with pride coming through. "We had a good team. We earned first. We put in countless hours with ED with the goal of making a car that would perform well. We took the car to competition and put a lot of energy into making it a good car. "The team got it together and pulled it off and from that came a first place effort." Lawrence Tech earned a $1,000 check for the first place finish in the Department of Energy's Hybrid category, and will have a travel trophy in a couple of weeks to proudly display. The team members also have memories, like the two nights they survived in a creepy hotel in New York, the bonds of friendship and engineering lessons reinforced with hands-on practice. "It was a good experience," said Beebee. "I gained a lot and learned a lot about the automotive industry, upcoming technology and about managerial skills." Lawrence Tech had a second vehicle -- Response IIE -- in the competition, another former hybrid electric vehicle which was converted to a solely electric car by staff and Lawrence Tech alumni this past year for Tour de Sol. The car, a two-passenger commuter, finished eighth in the Tour's battery- electric division and operated flawlessly. Response IIE's only handicap was its weight compared to the lightweight, smaller competing vehicles built specifically for this competition. Brancik also lent his technical expertise to Brighton High School, which had entered a two-passenger vehicle in the solar-electric category. The car finished second. There were only two cars in the category, but Brancik said the experience the high school students gain from building the car and competing with it was invaluable. LTU "ED" Tour De Sol Roster Robert Farrah, faculty advisor Franklin Nick Brancik, staff advisor Milford STUDENTS Bryan Madonna Sterling Heights Jessica Green Troy John Wilds Northville **Katherine Beebee Southfield Louise Darbyshire Royal Oak Majid Murad Dearborn Heights Mike Gielniak Goodrich Nicole Margrif Warren Steve Granke Royal Oak Tim Wrublewski Livonia Will Todd Ashtabula, Ontario, Canada Dave Ahomed Detroit Chris Paprocki Berkley Chad Rutherford Utica Robert Morley Canton ** Denotes student leader LTU Response IIE Roster Nick Brancik, staff advisor Milford Lee Keshishian, staff advisor Beverly Hills Ray Ziegler B. Cleto Farmington Hills Tom McBride Livonia Brad Larkin Sterling Heights Steve Jones Webberville Andy Korol Livonia