Energy efficient vehicles tested in real-world situationsMay 18 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Britney Milazzo Centre Daily Times (State College, Pa.)
About a dozen electric, hybrid and bio-diesel automobiles underwent tech inspections Friday at Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology for the fifth annual 21st Century Automotive Competition. The overall theme of the competition is to test the performance of efficient vehicles in real-world conditions including highway, back road and terrain driving. The winners will be honored at an award ceremony next month. The four-day event started Thursday and is split among three vehicle categories, depending on the size and type of the vehicle. Motorcycles, sedans and pickup trucks were among the vehicles entered and they compete in categories such as fastest zero-to-60 mph time and the distance a vehicle can travel on a single charge. The competition, hosted by the Larson Institute at Penn State, allows drivers and their vehicles to compete in a series of driving tests to demonstrate the energy efficiency and emissions of vehicles that are both mass-produced and converted electric vehicles. According to Joel Anstrom, director of the Hybrid and Hydrogen Vehicle Research Laboratory at Penn State, changing an old vehicle to one that is energy-efficient takes about 1,000 hours and $10,000 to reconstruct. But for most, it was less about competition and more about camaraderie among the group of drivers from across the commonwealth, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Don Auker, of Lebanon, owns a Tesla S, which was named the 2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year. Auker said he purchased the car in September as a way to eliminate his carbon footprint and utilize the solar panels on his house to charge the vehicle. "It's all about the way of the future for me," Auker said as he explained he expects the car to have a 4-second zero-to-60 speed time and travel about 300 miles on a single charge. On Saturday, numerous tests begin at 6 a.m. followed by a car show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the MorningStar solar home on campus. Britney Milazzo can be reached at 231-4648. Follow her on Twitter @M11azzo. http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=28659416 |