Father Christmas wit

Father Christmas with helmet delivers presents during the London Blitz-1940

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1931: Father Christm

1931: Father Christmas delivering presents to the Children’s Aid and Adoption Society at Leytonstone, London

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1938: Father Christm

1938: Father Christmas hands out presents to children at the Aid And Adoption Society home at Leytonstone

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Impacting Climate Change: OSU’s Time with Senator Whitehouse and Cardinal Turkson

Climate change. It is one of the most polarizing and critical topics in popular culture right now. Ohio State EcoCAR was fortunate to spend time with two climate change thought leaders this fall: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island, and Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana.

Senator Whitehouse visited the team at the Center for Automotive Research on Oct. 31, 2015, as part of a multiday trip through Ohio to see sustainable energy research in action. Whitehouse serves on the Committee of Environment and Public Works, co-founded/co-chairs the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change and addresses the Senate weekly with his “Climate Change: Time to Wake Up” speeches. Whitehouse’s trip to Ohio was documented in his Senate address on Nov. 10, 2015, which can be found here (at the 12:30 mark, you may see some familiar faces!).

Cardinal Turkson is a Roman Catholic Bishop, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and is heavily involved in the Pope’s current environmental efforts. While in Columbus, Ohio, he spent time as a guest of The Ohio State University School of Environment and Natural Resources and met with a group of students and faculty including five Ohio State EcoCAR team members. Turkson and the team discussed EcoCAR 3 and the future of automotive sustainability in our time together on Nov. 2, 2015.

In this video, team members M.J. Yatsko, Andrew Huster and Nick Tomczak share how they felt about spending time with two prominent environmental figures. You can watch the OSU Impacting Climate Change video here:

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5 Things to Know about the UWAFT Team

Do you want to know a bit more about the team at the University of Waterloo? From their location in Waterloo, to team accomplishments, and even a company that evolved from skills and experiences learned from AVTCs, here are five unique things about UWAFT:

1. Our team spans over two universities – The University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University. Located down the street from each other, this relationship is a match made in heaven with Waterloo’s strong engineering team and Laurier’s knowledgeable business students. While the two universities often compete in athletics, the UWAFT partnership is a great example of how two academic institutions in a close proximity can work together to create excellent results.
2. UWAFT is one of two Canadian teams participating in the EcoCAR competition. Located in Waterloo, Ontario, our team represents our innovative roots through participation in EcoCAR.
3. Our team at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University is located within an area of Ontario known as ‘Silicon Valley North’, which has a very high concentration of startups in the small geographic area. This unique distinction has brought a lot of attention to the area lately, due to startup successes and the tendency towards excellent innovations.
4. UWAFT Alumni created Crosschasm, a company which consults with businesses and individuals on how to optimize their fuel efficiency based on different factors. After a first place win during the four-year ChallengeX competition, Crosschasm was created with skills learned during the challenge.
5. In 2005, the UWAFT team created the first student-built roadworthy passenger fuel cell vehicle, also during the ChallengeX competition. This vehicle had a hydrogen fuel cell and was responsible for a first place win in that year of the competition.

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University High School Learning Day

After more than a month of preparation by the WVU EcoCAR 3 team, the youth outreach event at University High School in Morgantown, W.Va., had finally arrived. Students, grades 9 through 12, from Mrs. Oiler’s engineering classes filled the shop at the high school to hear more about EcoCAR 3 and hybrid technologies.

With the help of the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC), one of the largest alternative fueling training centers in the United States, the WVU EcoCAR 3 team was able to pool resources for this event. Headquartered at West Virginia University, the NAFTC uses a mobile classroom with iPads to engage youth and adults, while teaching them about the benefits of alternative energies.

In addition to the mobile classroom with iPads, the NAFTC also brought their cutaway Prius that shows the inner workings of a hybrid vehicle. This hands-on technology allowed students to scan QR codes of each hybrid component to learn more about how they work.Videos of WVU’s EcoCAR 3 team played while students explored the technologies of hybrids and alternative fuels. The students learned a lot about the team and its mission and were later tested on EcoCAR 3.

The WVU EcoCAR 3 team placed themselves throughout the high school’s shop and NAFTC’s mobile learning center to answer questions about the EcoCAR 3 competition. NAFTC staff also attended the event to answer questions students had about hybrid vehicles and the fuels that can be used in place of conventional gasoline.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the day was seeing how interested these students were in learning about hybrids and how this technology will impact our future. Several students left the event asking, “When will you be back?”

After learning about the EcoCAR 3 competition and WVU’s involvement, students were asked to answer trivia questions and fill out surveys to gauge how much they learned from the presentation. More than 25% of students said they learned “quite a bit” and 63% said they planned to pursue STEM careers in the future.

University High School students had several questions for EcoCAR 3 team members, including Assistant Communications Manager Kimberly Dutcher.

Students worked in groups of two to answer trivia questions displayed on iPads throughout the mobile classroom. The winning teams took home bragging rights and handfuls of candy.

There was time for a photo with the NAFTC’s cutaway Prius between class changes. Even WVU EcoCAR 3 Engineering Manager Justin Brumley hopped in. Communications Manager Chelsea Betts (right) and Assistant Communications Manager Kimberly Dutcher joined him in time to say, “Cheese!”

The day ended with interviews from two local broadcast stations. It was the perfect way to spread the word of EcoCAR 3 to West Virginia residents who may not have known about this innovative project.

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NXP Hosts the Year Two Winter Workshop

We are excited to announce that the EcoCAR 3 Year Two Winter Workshop will be hosted by NXP Semiconductors in Austin, TX. Recently, visionary Sponsor Freescale, merged with NXP Semiconductors. According to Rick Clemmer, Chief Executive Officer of NXP, “The combination of NXP and Freescale creates an industry powerhouse focused on the high-growth opportunities in the Smarter World.” Leadership level sponsor, dSPACE, will team up with NXP to co-sponsor the Year Two Winter Workshop.

For the first time during Year Two, students will teams will have the opportunity to present to industry professionals in the areas of Innovation, Systems Modeling and Simulation, Hardware in the Loop, and Project Status. The first in-person presentations will prepare the students for the Year Two final competition in May of 2016. During the Year Two Winter Workshop, teams can expect to receive multi-track training from several leading competition-level sponsors including: General Motors, NXP, dSPACE, MathWorks, Siemens, Mentor Graphics and more.

A select group of local Austin-area middle school and high school students are invited to visit NXP to take part in the 2016 Education Day. These students will have the opportunity to spend the day with EcoCAR 3 students, participate in hands-on activities that enhance their understanding of STEM, and take a tour of the Internet of Tomorrow Truck.

We look forward to seeing students and sponsors at the Year Two Winter Workshop!

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Off to LA for the Re-Opening of the Petersen Automotive Museum

Photo from autoblog.com

We could not be more excited for the grand re-opening of the Petersen Automotive Museum. I’m hopping on a plane to LA tonight so I can be there when the doors open. The museum was beautiful before, with its rare collector cars and special exhibits that make car-lovers everywhere drool, but it just underwent a $90Million overhaul. So what was once a beautiful, historic automotive museum, is now a state-of-the-art, world-class automotive experience.

If you want to see some preview photos, check out this article on Jalopnik.

Remember ADRNLN? The Ringbrothers Pantera I bought at Barrett-Jackson in January? Well, I decided it didn’t need to sit in our garage any longer collection dust. So I loaned it to the Petersen Museum, so that automotive enthusiasts that visit the museum from all over the world can bask in its beauty.

Photo from nobraking.com

So next time you’re in LA, put a visit to the Petersen on your priority list.

I’ll try to post photos on Twitter and Instagram from the museum tomorrow. Can’t wait!

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Gas Monkey Garage Monster Jam Truck!

It was only a matter of time before Gas Monkey Garage had a Monster Truck, right? We’re excited to announce that the Gas Monkey Garage Monster truck will debut in Houston on January 9, 2016, with veteran Monster Jam driver BJ Johnson behind the wheel! You can see it for yourself if you go to one of the Monster Jam events listed below. Get all the dirty details HERE.

2016 Gas Monkey Garage Tour Schedule
January 9 – Houston, Texas – NRG Stadium
January 16 – Anaheim, California – Angel Stadium of Anaheim
January 23 – San Diego, California – PETCO Park
January 30 – Glendale, Arizona – University of Phoenix Stadium
February 5-6 – Fargo, North Dakota – Fargo Dome
February 13 – Arlington, Texas – AT&T Stadium
February 20 – Oakland, California – O.co Coliseum
February 27 – Vancouver, British Columbia – BC Place Stadium
March 5-6 – El Paso, Texas – UTEP Sun Bowl

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You Know You’re An EcoCAR 3 Participant When…

Sixteen universities compete in EcoCAR 3, a four-year competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors. While students come from all over North America, we do have some uniting characteristics.

If you find yourself nodding “oh yes” to any of the following statements, you might just be an EcoCAR 3 participant!

1. You can be woken up at 3am and you’d still perfectly belt out “EcoCAR 3 is a four year engineering competition sponsored by GM and the US Department of Energy…..”
2. You never get tired of casually slipping a “Yeah there’s going to be a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro in our lab no big deal” into any conversation.
3. You attend somewhere around 3,000 meetings per week.
4. You think about taking revenge on football losses by competing with those schools at final competition.
5. You forget your friends’ birthdays, but can recite all of your yearly deliverables by heart.
6. Your friends find that YouTube video of you speaking about your team and they keep referencing it all the time, “Hey does this pizza look like a real world, hands-on experience that is unattainable in a classroom environment?”
7. Your friends love all the free stuff you get from workshops and competitions!
8. You get to travel the country (Columbus, Austin, Seattle, Boston, Yuma and hopefully Vegas).
9. You re-read the rules for the hundredth time and realize that there is something that you haven’t addressed in your report due tomorrow.
10. You think it is perfectly fine to practice your presentation by talking to yourself in a room full of strangers.
11. It’s not a charger, it’s the BRUSA. It’s not the battery pack, it’s A123.
12. You thought you could actually get work done over break.
13. You know that the only sensible choice for a hybrid Camaro is a V8.
14. Your friends ask you when is the car coming and all you can say is soon (waiting patiently).
15. You found the sponsor social to be way more productive than any expo ever has been.
16. You’re never done. It’s a continuum.
17. Writing these has started to worry you about the deadlines…

The above is as told by Pramit Baul, the Electrical Team Lead of the Virginia Tech EcoCAR 3 team. Originally from Kolkata, India, Pramit is in his second year of graduate school at VT with plans to graduate this spring. In his free time, Pramit enjoys bike riding and trying new things.

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Cal State LA EcoCAR 3 at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show

It’s that time of year again! No, it’s not Thanksgiving just yet, but the Los Angeles Auto Show is back in town and the Cal State LA EcoCAR 3 team gained access to the Press & Trade Days from November 16-19. Held at the LA Convention Center, the Auto Show was in the heart of Downtown LA. Several EcoCAR 3 team members found the time in between classes to head over to get a sneak peek at all exhibitions before the Show opened to the public Friday, November 20.

The Press & Trade Days were packed with various events, including the Connected Car Expo (CCE) at the JW Marriot, the event preceding the official opening of the LA Auto Show. On Tuesday, November 17, Dr. David Blekhman, Cal State LA’s EcoCAR 3 Lead Faculty Advisor and Calvin Qui, a 3^rd year mechanical engineering student and EcoCAR ambassador, attended the CCE with a university partner, the Advanced Transportation Center, to discuss the competition as well as the university’s other green transportation projects, such as its Hydrogen Fuel Station on campus. The Los Angeles Mayor, Eric Garcetti made the welcome address for all attendees, most of whom were automotive startups hoping to make their marks in the industry. Brian Cooley of CNET and designated CCE Emcee followed, introducing the opening Keynote speaker, the ride-sharing Lyft Co-Founder & President John Zimmer. On his experience at CCE, Qui said “It was amazing to see how invested the community is in constantly improving the quality of transportation. Being here has helped me reinforce my knowledge of the current state of automotive technology advancements and has given me insight into where it could potentially be going. It’s really exciting.”

Communications Co-Manager Carol Mamon attended the Press Conference for the 2016 Green Car of the Year Award. Preceding the announcement of the award, the ROEV Association, a collaboration of automotive industry stakeholders whose goal is to make public electric vehicle charging stations more widely accessible for all, was introduced. “It was great to see leading industry stakeholders make transportation even greener. Hearing ROEV’s plans makes me that much prouder to be part of the EcoCAR competition,” Mamon said. Following the ROEV announcement, Jay Leno of the popular YouTube series turned network show Jay Leno’s Garage, helped announce the winner, The Chevrolet Volt.

The LA Auto Show is in town until Sunday, November 29. More Cal State LA EcoCAR members will be heading to the Show throughout the week, look out for more pictures from the show on the team’s Facebook page!

Written By: Carol Mamon

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Brand New GMG Christmas Merchandise Available Now!

Looking for something unique to wear to your next ugly Christmas sweater party? OK, these aren’t all ugly, but you can pick from our new Gas Monkey Christmas merchandise. Click any image below to order online. Yes, we ship internationally. All domestic orders must be placed by midnight CST December 6 to arrive before Christmas. GYSOT!

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MSU EcoCAR 3 Visits with Boys & Girls Club of Starkville

The Mississippi State University EcoCAR 3 team recently visited with the students of the Nano Club at the Boys & Girls Club of Starkville. The MSU EcoCAR 3 team challenged the students to find alternative methods of propelling a toy car through the construction of a Rube Goldberg Machine.

What is Nano Club?

Nano Club is an outreach program at the Boys & Girls Club of Starkville that exposes minority youth in grades six through nine to careers related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Founded in 2011 by Dr. Tonya Stone of the Mississippi State University Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nano Club is helping ignite students’ interests in STEM related career opportunities.

What is a Rube Goldberg machine?

A Rube Goldberg machine is an apparatus that is purposefully over-engineered to perform a simple task in an unnecessarily complicated manner.

The Activity:

The Nano Club students were split into four separate teams. The teams were then given a kit of miscellaneous office supplies, recycled materials, and a 30 minute window of time to create their Rube Goldberg machine. The goal was to propel a toy car across the “finish line” through the use of the Rube Goldberg machine. The team that successfully propelled their toy car across the finish line with the most steps in the process was declared the winner. Teams had to implement at least three steps in their machine and were only allowed one human interaction or touch to initiate the machine’s process.

Similar to the MSU EcoCAR 3 team, students at Nano Club developed unique methods of propelling their vehicles. The students of Nano Club did an outstanding job constructing their Rube Goldberg machines. Students were free to be as creative as they wished and implemented some unique design concepts.

By partnering with Nano Club at the Boys & Girls of Starkville, the MSU EcoCAR 3 team is helping expose minority youth to the various career opportunities in STEM fields. The MSU EcoCAR 3 team hopes to partner with Nano Club again in the future and continue to impact the youth of the Starkville community. We hope to one day see these students working on teams in future Advanced Vehicular Technology Competitions.

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What’s On My Desk? ERAU’s Dr. Patrick Currier Shares

Patrick Currier is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona Beach Campus. Although originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he first attended Tennessee Technological University where he earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and then continued his education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University where he completed his Master’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, with an emphasis in unmanned systems. Along with teaching full time, Dr. Currier is also in his third year as the faculty advisor for Embry-Riddle’s EcoCAR 3 team, the EcoEagles. In this edition of “What’s On My Desk,” Dr. Currier shares the stories and meanings behind six objects found around his office.

This is a photo of a friend of mine, Amy Elliott (Dr. Elliott now actually), who attended school with me both in Tennessee and Virginia. I asked her to sign this photo after she received her Doctorate after she became a minor celebrity on a few TV shows.

This is a trophy I was awarded for EcoCAR. I’m in my third year with EcoCAR and I received this award for “Outstanding Incoming Faculty Advisor” last year during EcoCAR.

A mousetrap-but not for mice! One of the projects I had my students work on this semester for Senior Design required the use of a mousetrap. The trap had to be made into a vehicle with the spring providing the source of power. Students got to race their designs at the end.

The engineer hat: I have this hat (so do others) because of a joke from a colleague of mine. These hats are supposed to let people know who the engineers are…no, I don’t actually wear it!

Despicable Me playing cards: I have these Minion cards because of a project I worked on here at ERAU as a part of our Robotics Association team. We built a 16-foot fully autonomous boat and named it Minion. Last year we got to take it to Singapore for the Maritime RobotX Challenge, where we placed fourth overall.

A unique computer mouse: I previously worked with Caterpillar for a couple of years; one of the places that we got to perform tests was Tucson.

Written By: Alli Ulrich

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The Powertrain Plans Are In

It’s official.

Our 16 teams now have their marching orders in place for the remaining three years. They have finalized their engine plans and are gearing up to receive their 2016 Chevrolet Camaros donated by General Motors.

To imagine a greener future for this iconic car, the teams spent a considerable amount of time researching the needs and expectations of their regional consumer base. They looked at psychographic, demographic and socioeconomic factors to gain a thorough understanding of how best to design and market the ultimate energy-efficient, high-performance Camaro.

Using this insight, they submitted their top three choices for architecture designs (powertrain and fuel) to the program organizers who will now pool together the resources to get the hardware, software and mentors needed to make the competitors’ dreams a reality.

The teams could explore a wide variety of powertrain configurations ranging from a pure electric vehicle to a traditional hybrid vehicle. For fuel, the teams could select from the following options:

1. E10 – a low-level blend composed of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline;
2. E85 – a renewable fuel made from plant material that is a gasoline-ethanol blend containing 51 to 83 percent ethanol; and,
3. B20 – a common biodiesel bend with 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel.

While the EcoCAR 3 vehicles remain prototypes throughout the competition, this exercise in selecting a target market audience and designing a vehicle’s architecture mirrors the real-world product development process.

To our surprise, 15 of the 16 teams envisioned a very similar green Camaro of the future: a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) powered by E85. A PHEV has an internal combustion engine, one or more motors and is recharged using the electrical grid. Typically, PHEVs use electricity first and once the battery is depleted, the engine turns on and the fuel is used operating like a traditional hybrid vehicle.

Embry-Riddle’s Series Parallel PHEV Design

The one team that bucked the trend is the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. They are pursuing a hybrid electric vehicle powered by E10.

Here is the list of participating schools and the vehicle architecture they will be perfecting over the next three years:

• University of Alabama – Series-Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle powered by E85
• Arizona State University – Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle powered by E85
• California State University, Los Angeles – Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle powered by E85
• Colorado State University – Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle powered by E85
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Series-Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle powered by E85
• Georgia Institute of Technology – Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle powered by E85
• McMaster University – Series-Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle powered by E85
• Mississippi State University – Series-Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle powered by E85
• The Ohio State University – Series-Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle powered by E85
• Pennsylvania State University – Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle powered by E85
• University of Tennessee, Knoxville – Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicle powered by E10
• Virginia Tech – Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle powered by E85
• University of Washington – Series Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle powered by E85
• University of Waterloo – Series-Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle powered by E85
• Wayne State University – Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle powered by E85
• West Virginia University – Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle powered by E85

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UA EcoCAR 3 Celebrates STEM Education and Diversity

Hispanic Heritage Month is nationally celebrated during the month of October. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Hispanics make up eight percent of those awarded with certificates and degrees in STEM programs and less than two percent of the STEM workforce consists of people from Hispanic origin. Although the Hispanic heritage is considered underrepresented in STEM programs, many people of Hispanic descent are making waves in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics such as Helen Ocho the first Hispanic female astronaut or Mario Mollina a renowned chemist. During the month of October the UA EcoCAR 3 team had the honor of highlighting the career of an esteemed STEM legend, Dr. José Hernández-Rebollar.

Hernández-Rebollar was born in Puebla, Mexico in 1969. He received his undergraduate degree in electronics from Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla in 1993 and his masters in electronics engineering from Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Optica y Electrónica in 1997. In 1998 Hernández-Rebollar came to the U.S. as a Fulbright scholar at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. At George Washington, he majored in signals and systems, minoring in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and bioelectronics. He earned his Ph.D. in Science in Electrical Engineering from George Washington in 2003.

While studying at George Washington he received funding for researching and inventing a program to turn sign language into spoken word.  By 2003, he created the AcceleGlove. The AcceleGlove translate movements from American Sign Language to spoken words. The AcceleGlove is a glove, placed and strapped onto the arm. By analyzing signals from the hands movement, orientation and position, the system recognizes the sign and speaks the corresponding word.

Since 2003, the use of AcceleGlove has expanded. Along with vocalizing sign language, the glove now helps soldiers communicate silently in the field. The glove could connect a soldier or team to a support drone which would facilitate silent commands between the two. This interaction would allow the soldier to direct the drone to stay high or low or to move a certain way to avoid gunfire.

With countless uses, the AcceleGlove helped open the door to a new generation of communication. Hernández-Rebollar’s invention currently assists over 26 million Americans who are hearing impaired and is even being used in other fields. As a team, UA EcoCAR 3 salutes Mr. Hernandez-Rebollar for his efforts and contributions to society.

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Sneak Peek: The EcoCAR 3 Camaros Are Coming

When we found out the EcoCAR 3 teams would be receiving the all-new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro from General Motors, we were ecstatic to announce the news to our 500 or so team members from the 16 competing universities. We knew they would be giddy to get under the hood and start re-imagining a greener performance vehicle.

Now, almost a year and a half later, we are gearing up to ship 16 of the first 100 Gen Six Camaros to our teams. In fact, the teams will be receiving the 3.6L V-6 Camaro with the eight-speed automatic transmission in Summit White.

Fortunately for us, we got a sneak peek inside Grand River Assembly to feast our eyes on the cars that our students will soon be tearing down. Made in Lansing, Mich., the Camaro has re-invigorated the facility. GM hired back 500 second-shift jobs, invested $175 million in new equipment and new paint systems, and trained the employees on all-things Camaro assembly.

The irony does not escape us – 16 of the first 100 Camaros will have their powertrain systems and other areas – stripped out within days of rolling off the lines all in an effort to reduce its environmental impact, while maintaining the safety, athletic look and performance expected from this iconic American car.

This is perhaps the most anticipated time for EcoCAR 3, as the engineering dreams of our students will soon come to life. We also know this is an exciting time for future #CamaroSix owners who are ready to take their new babies for a spin as soon as the cars arrive at dealerships in November.

Can’t wait to see the car? Chevrolet is hitting the highways and byways of America now to celebrate the car’s launch. Check out the #FindNewRoads hashtag to see what the Camaro is up to, or visit findnewroadstrip.com to see if there is a stop near you.

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Meet the Monkeys and see GMG Rides at SEMA/AAPEX in Vegas!

If you’re going to be at SEMA or AAPEX in Vegas Nov 3-6, not only will you get to see some of our favorite builds, but you’ll also get more than a few chances to meet some of the monkeys. Make sure you wear a Gas Monkey shirt so we can spot you in the crowd. If you want to meet me (Richard Rawlings), Aaron Kaufman, or KC Mathieu, check out the schedule below. You might also see some of the other monkeys and former monkeys like Mike Coy, Dustin Deleon, Jonathan Mansour and Chris “Mater” Montavon out and about at the show. Feel free to say hi to them, too. They don’t bite too hard.

If you want to see one of our rides, stop by the DiabloSport Booth to see our Shart Cat (the Dart we built to race the Roadkill guys), our beautiful black 2005 GT from the season finale of Fast N’ Loud will be parked at the Accuair booth and the ’71 Dodge Challenger that Havoline just gave away to a lucky winner will be on display at the Chevron/Havoline booth at AAPEX, which is also where I’ll be awarding the car to the winner on Wednesday.

Monday Nov 2

2-3:30 Meet Richard at the Liquor Library in McCarren Airport

Tuesday Nov 3

10-12 Meet Richard at Valspar Booth #23513

11-12 Meet KC at the SATA booth #10609

12-1 Meet Richard at the Big Ass Fans Booth #10170

Wednesday Nov 4

10-11am Meet KC at the SLP/Loudmouth Booth #20379

10:30-1:30 Meet Richard at AAPEX at the Chevron/Havoline Booth #2833

11-12pm Meet Aaron at the DiabloSport Booth #22657

1-2pm Meet KC at the 3M Booth #61027

2-3pm Meet KC at the Kaeser Booth #10421

Thursday Nov 5

10-11am Meet KC at the 3M Booth #61027

1-2pm Meet KC at the SATA booth #10609

3-4pm Meet Aaron Kaufman at the DiabloSport Booth #22657

3-4 pm Meet KC at the SLP/Loudmouth Booth #20379

Friday Nov 6

3-3:30pm Meet KC at the Aeromotive Booth #23229

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UT EcoCAR 3 Team Member Featured in ASME’s Mechanical Engineering Magazine

The University of Tennessee’s EcoCAR 2 and EcoCAR 3 Year One team member, Karson Stone, reflects on the unique opportunities that EcoCAR and UT have offered her in the latest issue of Mechanical Engineering Magazine, published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Karson was thrilled to see her hard work come to fruition, “Seeing my article published was surreal. Since I first joined the EcoCAR 2 team in 2012, I’ve been trying to get a publication out about the work Team Tennessee has been doing in the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions. The article in the October 2015 edition of the ASME magazine only made me more proud to have been a part of the Tennessee EcoCAR 3 team. Further, my mother is a Mechanical Engineer, so she was clearly shocked as well as filled with pride when she saw the article in ASME’s magazine with my name on it. Since my travels to Seattle for the  EcoCAR 3 Year 1 competition, I have completed a summer internship with Schneider Electric where I worked on a new product line among other major projects. Currently, I am a Junior studying the honors Industrial Engineering curriculum and still following the progress of the Tennessee EcoCAR 3 team.”

Read Karson’s article, here in the latest Mechanical Engineering Magazineand learn more about UT’s Research and Instructional Strategies for Engineering Retention (RISER) program on the program website.

Written by: Emily King and Karson Stone

The post UT EcoCAR 3 Team Member Featured in ASME’s Mechanical Engineering Magazine appeared first on Ecocar 3.

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Announcing the Winner of our 1971 Dodge Challenger!

Last season on Fast N’ Loud, we took the engine out of a 2015 Scat Pack Dodge Challenger and put it in a 1971 Dodge Challenger. You know, because we’re crazy. Havoline bought the car from us and offered it up as the grand prize in their Bad to the Chrome II Sweepstakes. And the winner is…

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10 Ways to Reduce Your Environmental Impact

This October marks National Energy Action Month, as proclaimed by President Obama. The goal of National Energy Action Month is to encourage individuals to achieve greater energy security, a more robust economy, and a healthier environment for future generations. EcoCAR 3 is just one of many programs that is transforming the future of energy consumption.

According to the Department of Energy Home Energy Checklist, here are some things that you can do each day to monitor your own environmental impact through energy reduction:

1. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. You have probably heard these words your whole life but the three R’s help to cut down on the amount of waste we throw away. They conserve natural resources, landfill space and energy. Plus, the three R’s save land and money communities must use to dispose of waste in landfills.
2. Turn off your computer monitor when not in use for more than 20 minutes, and turn off both the computer and monitor if you’re not going to use your computer for more than 2 hours.
3. Turn off the lights in unoccupied rooms or consider installing timers, photo cells, or occupancy sensors to reduce the amount of time your lights are on.
4. Check your Energy-saving settings. Start using energy-saving settings on refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and clothes dryers. Check the age and condition of your appliances. Even if the appliance has a few useful years left, replacing it with a top-efficiency model is generally a good investment.
5. Clean or replace filters in your furnace, air conditioner, and heat pump.
6. Collect your utility bills. Separate electricity and fuel bills. Target the largest energy consumer or the largest bill for energy conservation measures.
7. Plant trees. Reduce your air conditioning costs by planting shade trees and shrubs around your house-especially on the west side.
8. Seal up the largest air leaks in your house—the ones that whistle on windy days, or feel drafty. The worst culprits are usually not windows and doors, but utility cut-throughs for pipes (“plumbing penetrations”), gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. Better yet, hire an energy auditor with a blower door to point out the worst cracks. All the little, invisible cracks and holes may add up to as much as an open window or door without you ever knowing it!
9. Evaluate your driving habits. Drive the speed limit, avoid traffic, slowly accelerate, limit the use of defrosters and air conditioning, and carpool when you can to improve fuel economy.
10. Know that you are making a difference. Change your behavior one day at a time and encourage others to think about their environmental impact. By taking the initiative to monitor your own energy habits, we can create a sustainable future and ensure environmental well-being.

Learn how some of our teams are taking action on energy consumption in their communities here.

The post 10 Ways to Reduce Your Environmental Impact appeared first on Ecocar 3.

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Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Environmental Impact

This October marks National Energy Action Month, as proclaimed by President Obama. The goal of National Energy Action Month is to encourage individuals to achieve greater energy security, a more robust economy, and a healthier environment for future generations. EcoCAR 3 is just one of many programs that is transforming the future of energy consumption.

According to the Department of Energy Home Energy Checklist, here are some things that you can do each day to monitor your own environmental impact through energy reduction:

1. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. You have probably heard these words your whole life but the three R’s help to cut down on the amount of waste we throw away. They conserve natural resources, landfill space and energy. Plus, the three R’s save land and money communities must use to dispose of waste in landfills.
2. Turn off your computer monitor when not in use for more than 20 minutes, and turn off both the CPU and monitor if you’re not going to use your computer for more than 2 hours.
3. Turn off the lights in unoccupied rooms or consider installing timers, photo cells, or occupancy sensors to reduce the amount of time your lights are on.
4. Check your Energy-saving settings. Start using energy-saving settings on refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and clothes dryers. Check the age and condition of your appliances. Even if the appliance has a few useful years left, replacing it with a top-efficiency model is generally a good investment.
5. Clean or replace filters in your furnace, air conditioner, and heat pump.
6. Collect your utility bills. Separate electricity and fuel bills. Target the largest energy consumer or the largest bill for energy conservation measures.
7. Plant trees. Reduce your air conditioning costs by plant shade trees and shrubs around your house-especially on the west side.
8. Seal up the largest air leaks in your house—the ones that whistle on windy days, or feel drafty. The worst culprits are usually not windows and doors, but utility cut-throughs for pipes (“plumbing penetrations”), gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. Better yet, hire an energy auditor with a blower door to point out the worst cracks. All the little, invisible cracks and holes may add up to as much as an open window or door without you ever knowing it!
9. Evaluate your driving habits. Drive the speed limit, avoid traffic, slowly accelerate, limit the use of defrosters and air conditioning, and carpool when you can to improve fuel economy.
10. Know that you are making a difference. Change your behavior one day at a time and encourage others to think about their environmental impact. By taking the initiative to monitor your own energy habits, we can create a sustainable future and ensure environmental well-being.

Learn how some of our teams are taking action on energy consumption in their communities here.

The post Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Environmental Impact appeared first on Ecocar 3.

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What’s On My Desk? Jesse Alley Shares

Jesse Alley is the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) Lead Engineer and Vehicle Systems Engineer at Argonne National Laboratory. Originally from Kingsport, TN and he has a Bachelor and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech, graduating in 2010 and 2012 respectively. While at Virginia Tech, he participated in EcoCAR: the NeXt Challenge and was the team leader for the first year of EcoCAR 2. Day-to-day, Jesse manages the structural waiver process, the energy storage system design process, and the safety and technical inspection process. In this second edition of our blog series, “What’s On My Desk,” Jesse shares unique objects in his office and the story behind them.

1. The J. Fred Johnson Stadium brick is from the press box of my high school football stadium at Dobyns-Bennett High School where I spent 4 years playing football. My senior year I was voted MVP and ranked all-state. That year I led the team in tackles and had 8 Hammer Awards. The Hammer Award was given to the person from each game who had the hardest hit. This memento brings back fond memories from high school. The J. Fred Johnson brick is a landmark of Kingsport and relic of home.

2. This is a photo of my grandfather and me. All 8 grandchildren have the same photo on pop’s shoulders. I am very blessed to grow up with a loving family in the same community. This photo is a reminder of home and represents my childhood, family, and love. Family has always been very important to me.

 

3. John’s Island, Angel Oak: This is a famous tree located in John’s Island, South Carolina – one of the Sea Islands outside of Charleston. I’ve been down to this area more than a dozen times since high school on missions trips with a few different churches and faith organizations. Each trip lasted about a week and was focused on home repair. I love the low country and the people of the Sea Islands. This was the first place I discovered a love for mission work and service.

 

4. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere – about 60% of the country’s population lives in poverty, consuming less than $2 per day. And that was before the devastating in earthquake in January of 2010. In May of 2011, I was part of a Virginia Baptist Mission Board student group that spent a week in the still-devastated city of Port-au-Prince building a home and working on the construction of a new orphanage. I witnessed heart-wrenching abject poverty but also joy and hope in the Haitian believers we worked with. This juxtaposition was such a powerful testament to the saving power of Christ.

5. My philosophy is that you should always base your work on sound fundamentals. Hence, the textbooks used for monitor stands. The Mac keyboard is a carryover from my days in Grad school. Virginia Tech has a CAD lab in the ME building that is equipped with Apple computers (and keyboards). Each computer had two huge monitors and any piece of software I’d ever need, so I spent an enormous amount of time in that lab doing school work. In the process, I developed a fondness for the keyboards – the key was the low travel of the keys, which made typing easier and faster. One of the first things that I bought for my office at Argonne was this keyboard. The keyboard worked well for me and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Fun facts about the keyboard: the ALT and Windows buttons are switched, the print screen button is labeled as “fn” and the “clear” button on the keypad is actually Numlock.

6. I have quite a few toys, gadgets, puzzles and trinkets. Deep down, I’m really just a big goofy kid who likes toys. The things on my shelf are little knickknacks and puzzles that I’ve accumulated over the years. Most of them were stocking stuffers from my mom, I think. I keep them around to remind myself not to take things too seriously.

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