91¿´Æ¬

Aaron Singer, a graduate student and co-leader of the 91¿´Æ¬ Davis Challenge X team, talks about a new generation of vehicles students are working on at 91¿´Æ¬ Davis. On Jan. 28, area newspaper, TV and print media visited campus to get a first-hand look at some of the award-winning hybrid-electric vehicles built by engineering students. The vehicles include a 2002 Ford Explorer that can go zero to 60 mph in seven seconds while getting up to 30 miles per gallon, and a 1998 Mercury Sable sedan that gets 50 miles per gallon. 91¿´Æ¬ Davis teams compete each year in national Future-Car and FutureTruck competitions, placing first overall in 2001, second in 2002 and third in 2003 at FutureTruck events. In 2004, 91¿´Æ¬ Davis was selected as one of 17 student teams to compete in "Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility," sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors. Challenge X, run over three years, will push students to re-engineer a mid-size SUV for higher fuel efficiency and lower emissions while preserving safety, performance and comfort.