University of Wisconsin Takes 1st Place
at FutureCar Challenge, Again!
11 June 1999
For Second Straight Year: First Place Winner - University of Wisconsin Wins Innovations in Aluminum Awardat FutureCar Challenge
Winning Aluminum-Intensive Car Gets More Than 60 M.P.G.
WASHINGTON -- A team from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has again won
top honors for "Innovations in Aluminum," as part of the nationwide FutureCar Challenge.
This competition challenges students to develop the super fuel-efficient vehicle
of the future. The Wisconsin engineering team substituted lightweight aluminum
components for heavier ones to greatly reduce vehicle weight, yielding a mid-size
family car that achieves superior fuel efficiency. Their innovative work aided the
team in also taking home the competition's first-place award.
The "Innovations in Aluminum" award is given to recognize students for aggressively
applying aluminum to meet the competition's goals. Automotive use of aluminum has
doubled since 1991, making it critically important for tomorrow's engineers to be
well-versed in aluminum technology.
"The best and the brightest of the nation's student engineers have once again shown
us how high-strength, lightweight aluminum can help dramatically improve automotive
fuel economy in real-world driving conditions. Just last week, the domestic automakers
and the aluminum industry announced an Auto Aluminum Alliance to accelerate the use
of aluminum in cars and light trucks in the future, making educational opportunities
like FutureCar of critical importance to next-generation auto engineers,"
said J. Stephen Larkin, President of The Aluminum Association.
Starting with an aluminum-bodied Mercury Sable, the Wisconsin team converted
twenty-seven additional components to aluminum, including parts of the suspension,
electrical controls, chassis and powertrain. The car achieved 62.7 miles per gallon
in the on-road fuel economy test, which is nearly 150 percent better than its
conventional counterpart. Weight reduction is a crucial factor in meeting the tough
requirements of the FutureCar Challenge since lighter cars generally use less fuel
than heavier ones, and emit less carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas. In
addition to the Wisconsin team, many of the other student teams took advantage of
aluminum's lightweight qualities, since one pound of aluminum can generally replace
two pounds of traditional automotive metals.
The Wisconsin team was presented the Innovations in Aluminum award, after all thirteen
competing universities drove their vehicles from Detroit, MI to Washington, DC, to
attend a rally led by US Energy Secretary Bill Richardson. As part of the program,
the students displayed their vehicles in ceremonies with members of Congress and the
Executive Branch.
The "Wisconsin Cow," as it is nicknamed, won a total of seven awards at the FutureCar
Challenge, including the "Most Energy Efficient Vehicle" and "Best Dynamic Handling."
The Wisconsin team also won last year's Innovations in Aluminum award for best use of
aluminum.
As part of the Innovations in Aluminum award, contestants were judged on how well
they took advantage of aluminum's design benefits related to innovation, feasibility,
weight-reduction, recyclability, and craftsmanship. This year's judges included:
Tony Warren, Alcan; Andy Sherman, Ford; Joe Carpenter, Department of Energy;
Steve Pasteiner, Advanced Automotive Technologies; and, Greg Bartley, Alcoa.
The FutureCar Challenge was created to offer top-flight engineering schools the
same challenge currently facing the auto industry -- to build an 80 mpg mid-size sedan
without sacrificing safety, performance or utility. It is sponsored by the US Department
of Energy, with assistance from the United States Council for Automotive Research,
representing DaimlerChrysler, Ford and GM.
The Aluminum Association, based in Washington, DC, represents U.S. producers of
primary and secondary aluminum, as well as semi-fabricated products. Member companies
operate approximately 200 plants in 35 states.