MARSHALL – For the fourth consecutive year, the team from Université Laval in Quebec, Canada, placed first at the Society of Automotive Engineers Supermileage student competition, recording the highest ever fuel economy results for the event, achieving 4,113 miles per gallon.
A total of 16 collegiate teams (11 from the U.S. and 5 from Canada) competed this year. From Michigan, three collegiate teams participated – Lawrence Technological University, Michigan Technological University and University of Detroit Mercy.
The results were announced Thursday by power management company Eaton, and SAE. The competition was held at Eaton’s Proving Grounds in Marshall on June 8-9.
“Our performance this year is the fruit of several months of meticulous and arduous work. This year, the team focused on experimental tests,” said Mathieu Pouliot, the technical director for the Université Laval team. “This allowed us not only to obtain a high level of reliability from the vehicle, but also to build on our understanding of the system’s behavior. With this knowledge, we could take full advantage of our vehicle’s potential.”
The competition, in its 38th year, helps to generate public awareness of high-mileage fuel-efficient vehicles and encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Participants are encouraged to use advanced materials and technologies, as well as their design creativity and imaginations, to get the most out of their vehicles over the 9.6-mile course – six times around Eaton’s 1.6-mile test track.
“This event is a great opportunity to showcase the skills and determination of the next generation of engineers and to introduce them to Eaton and the opportunities available here,” said Jim Gluys, Eaton Supermileage Event Manager, 2004 – 2017. “The students participating in this year’s competition certainly raised the bar, achieving results that are truly impressive. They’re the engineers of the future.”
Supermileage is a part of SAE’s Collegiate Design Series. In addition to hosting Supermileage, Eaton is providing financial and technical support to a student-engineering team from Western Michigan University that will design and develop a vehicle to compete against other student teams in the American Solar Challenge competition this year.
Eaton is a power management company with 2016 sales of $19.7 billion. Eaton has approximately 95,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countries. For more information, visit Eaton.com.
