Article Last Updated: 02/28/2006 1:29 AM MST
Utah; USU students build electric snowmobile Environmental challenge: The designers will take the sled to Michigan in March for a national competition By Arrin Newton Brunson Special to The Tribune
Nathan Hansen, of Midway, and 11 other Utah State University engineering students built this electric snowmobile. (Arrin Newton Brunson)
LOGAN - No one hacks and gags on carbon monoxide when Utah State University senior engineering student Nathan Hansen of Midway goes, "Vroom, vroom," on his senior design project - the oft-disparaged snowmobile.
That's because Hansen and 11 other engineering students at the northern Utah campus have designed and built a zero-emissions, electric sled that they believe can bring together sledders and the environmentalists.
Design teammate Steven Hanson, an engineering student from the Weber County community of West Point, said the group's invention isn't ready to market to die-hard hill climbers, but the prototype has potential for trail-riding in environmentally sensitive areas such as Yellowstone National Park. In fact, the team's double sled rides nicely atop a chassis provided by park officials who support the endeavor.
Yellowstone's environmental manager, Jim Evanoff, said park officials are especially intrigued by the team's goal. This, he said, would help Yellowstone preserve its Class One airshed status - an EPA requirement to maintain pristine air quality. "As the first national park in the world, it is our responsibility as stewards of this national treasure to preserve and protect it for future generations," Evanoff said. read more on this Utah snowmobile news story here...
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3/22/2006; USU team lauded for snowmobile; Salt
Lake Tribune; LOGAN - Utah State University snowmobilers won recognition
recently at the Society of Automotive Engineers' annual Clean Snowmobile
Challenge.
"We dominated our competition and won every category that we were
comparatively scored in," Nathan Hansen, USU electric snowmobile
team leader, said about competition staged earlier this month in Houghton,
Mich.
Despite facing tough sledding, the team and the electric snowmobile
they designed were honored for best zero-emissions design and range,
best overall zero-emissions and a Rookie of the Year award.
The students' electric snowmobile competed head-to-head with gas-powered
snowmobiles in every event, impressing judges with its handling, design,
practicality, comfort, range and noise level. USU's machine, though,
was graded in a separate zero-emissions category.
“We competed along with the gas snowmobiles, but we were not
scored against them or eligible to win awards in the main competition
categories,” Hansen said. “So even though we provided what was
by far the cleanest snowmobile, we were not eligible to win. We are currently
in the process of appealing to have this changed for next year's competition.”
snowmobile
news source here...
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