EcoCAR is ready for the big event!

Posted by on May 22, 2014 in Competitions, EcoCAR, Outreach & Service, Students | 0 comments

EcoCAR is ready for the big event!

Preparations for both the upcoming EcoCAR competition and President Barron’s visit have occupied Penn State’s Advanced Vehicle Team this week.

The team had plans since November to replace the Malibu’s brakes to reduce vehicle weight, and only recently got the nod from competition organizers, said Nick Wyckoff. Weight savings of 15.5 pounds came from the rotor hat being made of aluminum, rather than cast iron, and the rotor’s two cast iron disks being thinner than the stock equipment.

EcoCAR 2 May 2014The vehicle just returned from a 120-mile drive and testing of the new brakes at the Larson Institute’s test track facility yesterday. Testing included testing the brakes at hot temperatures.

The team was busy practicing presentations until 11 p.m. last night, said Wyckoff. “And we’re back here early this morning,” he added with a smile.

Today’s send-off reception is timely. The vehicle could ship as early as Friday. The team won’t know the date of shipping until the tractor trailer rolls into the parking lot to get it.

The competition will begin in earnest at the GM Proving Ground, Milford, Mich. on June 1.

 

For more information about the Penn State Advanced Vehicle Team, visit their official page on the EcoCAR 2 website or go to the PSU AVT website

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