The UAF Mechanical Engineering department sent a team of students to compete in the SAE Clean Snowmachine Challenge. The students created a snowmachine that would operate completely from electrical power supplied by batteries, as opposed to a combustion engine. This SAE competition was designed to challenge students to create lower pollution snow machines that also explored the concept of alternative propulsion methods.
The team consisted of Malcolm Deighton, Michael Golub, Peter Morris, Mark Nelson, and Lisa Stowell. Congratulations again to the Nanook EV team on their success! Below are updates sent out during the competition from team adviser Assistant Professor Rorik Peterson.
The technical inspection has been completed and the UAF zero emission snow machine team is ready for the endurance event tomorrow. The track had to be reversed (due to one very stringent judge), a high-voltage fuse replaced, and extra electrical insulation added to the motor compartment. Relatively small modifications that left plenty of time for Malcolm to take the Nanook EV out for one final test run this evening before plugging the charger in for the night.
There are five teams competing in this year's Zero Emissions class of the Clean Snowmobile Challenge in Houghton, Michigan. UAF is the only rookie team, and clearly operating on a smaller budget than the other competitors. Most arrived here with logo-laden covered trailers and twice the number of students on their teams. However, considering that those teams were still tweaking their systems late tonight in an attempt to pass inspection, UAF is looking very competitive.
All five zero emission (ZE) sleds competed in the endurance competition today. Temperatures have been reaching near 50°F for several days, so the course had to be changed from the planned oval track to a 1-mile out-and-back through water and slush up to 10 inches deep in areas. The first ZE stopped at just 4 miles due to a faulty low-voltage connection. The next two competitors simply lost juice at about 6 and 8 miles. The team from Univ. Wisconsin, Madison, last year's winner and this year's clear favorite, came to a stop at 14 miles while the Nanook EV continued on as the sole contestant. The judge finally called the competition over at 18.5 miles, giving UAF a definitive win and a substantial boost in overall points.
CSC Update - Finale - Congratulations to the UAF ME Team!
The final results were announced last night after a week of competition, and the UAF zero-emission snowmachine team placed 2nd out of 5 teams in the ZE category, and earned Outstanding Rookie team by finishing in front of 3 veteran teams. They were edged out by UW Madision in total points, but won best endurance and finished 2nd in drawbar pull and objective handling. The five member team did an outstanding job representing UAF in the week-long competition involving 18 teams from across the US, perhaps best exemplified by their receipt of the only Hawke Safety Award for best and consistent use of safety procedures and precautions throughout the event.
Please congratulate the team if you have the opportunity for doing such an excellent job. They are Malcolm Deighton, Michael Golub, Peter Morris, Mark Nelson, and Lisa Stowell.
We should especially appreciate Michael Golub for his leadership in this event. Mike initiated the UAF’s participation of this competition. His design and fabrication of the electric snow machine, coordination of the team tasks, and fund raising are essential to the success of the UAF team.
Congratulations again to the Nanook EV team!
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Rorik Peterson
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering -
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
The UAF Mechanical Engineering Clean Snowmachine. This snowmachine runs on the electricity provided by batteries, and does not pollute the environment. Photo by Rorik Peterson.
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