Designing Greener Cars for the Future

For the last three years, a group of students has been working in a nondescript garage a mile from campus to cobble together a car evocative of Dr. Frankenstein's monster—one similar in appearance to a decal-heavy NASCAR but with all the benefits of a hybrid.

Automobile parts, tools and designs litter any open surfaces of the workroom—and in the center rests the fruit of the team's labor, their creation: the N.C. State EcoCar.

The group of students took up a challenge from General Motors to redesign a GM vehicle, making it more environmentally friendly while still maintaining consumer appeal. The competition, called the EcoCar Challenge, pitted the N.C. State team and 15 other teams from universities around the country against each other in a contest to best redesign an environmentally friendly car.

Jon Lohr, senior in mechanical engineering and captain of the N.C. State team, joined the project about one year ago. 

"A lot of teams showed interest in the project, and about 40 teams wrote proposals for GM," Lohr said. "Only 16 teams ended up in the competition. The contest itself spanned a three-year period, recently coming to a close in two presentations, one at the GM Headquarters in Michigan and one at Washington, D.C. outside of the Department of Energy."

According to Lohr, GM holds the contest every three years, and, given the current economic and energy problems facing the country, the company chose to focus on more fuel-efficient vehicles.

The teams chose their own basic car design from a list provided by GM.  The N.C. State team's Extended Range Electric Vehicle, or EREV, is similar in design to the Chevy Volt, and unlike other hybrids such as the Toyota Prius, this EcoCar runs exclusively off the electric motor.

William Chang, senior in mechanical engineering and member of the design team, said the car uses a diesel motor to generate energy for the battery. 

"The electric battery is the only thing actually powering the motor," Chang said.

This design has both environmental and economic benefits, according to Chang. 

"With a normal electric car, you get about six hours of battery, then you have to charge it again. With the 8-gallon diesel engine involved, you get about 360 miles from the battery and the diesel combined," Chang said.

And to take the green theme even further, the diesel used in the engine is an 80/20 mix of traditional diesel to biodiesel, which is more environmentally friendly. 

Since all the members of the team study at the University while working on the project, the EcoCar team involved many designers, engineers and general workers. 

However, Ali Seyam, graduate student in mechanical engineering, has stuck with the competition since the first project proposals. He began his involvement as an undergraduate senior in mechanical engineering, and at the end of this summer he will wrap up his final semester as a master's student as well as his work on the EcoCar.

Looking back on his experience with the finished product three years in the making, Seyam said, "I don't know how to put it in words sometimes."

As team leader, Seyam oversaw the automobile's construction from its inception. He said along the way he would occasionally get caught up in his passion for the work. 

"I think it's important to do what you love…Sometimes I'd forget I was actually getting paid until the check showed up," Seyman said.

The GM-sponsored program provided Seyam with more than just three years of experience at N.C. State. His work on the car not only led him to a thesis project for his master's program, it also brought him to the attention of General Motors itself, which landed him a job in Michigan. 

"It's the job of my dreams," he said.  "[The EcoCar competition] let me do some hands-on learning, and it's a whole different experience from what you learn in the classroom."

Though the team did not do as well as they hoped in the competition, the car showed dramatic improvement from year to year, according to GM's rankings.

"The second year we were ranked last place, but for the third year we went up to seventh place," Seyam said.

The judges scored the teams not only on the engineering and design, but also on basic consumer features. 

"We got points for the engine and battery, but they also scored us on stuff like ‘Does the radio turn on?' or ‘Does the AC work?' since it's a consumer car," Chang said.