Before the first day of the Challenge on Memorial Day at the GM Proving Grounds in Milford, everyone involved in the project was confident Wayne State had developed a vehicle that could compete strongly in the upcoming national competition. But win?

Juggling outside jobs and classes, the students spent countless hours in the lab at the expense of personal and family time. Many became strangers to their parents. If most people doubted a first place finish - no student team at the College had ever won a national vehicle design competition - the team members themselves marched to a different drummer. Jeff Jarvis drew up a mission statement that called for winning the competition. As time would tell, it was not a mere assertion of bravado. He was simply reflecting a cool confidence carried by the entire team.

No one questioned that if any team of students was capable of doing it, it would be this one. From the beginning, these students left a positive impression with whomever they came in contact. They were polite and unusually polished in getting from others what they needed. "I'm extremely impressed," said Fred Levantrosser, an EAA board member. "They were highly motivated, professional in their approach. If you didn't know they were students, you'd think they were already employed in high positions."

In September 1997, three members made a strong presentation to the Engineering Alumni Board, detailing their plans to convert the car donated by GM. The EAA board agreed that evening to donate $2,500 to support the students. It was the newly formed team's first major contribution.

Mr. Nahra, 22, now an engineer at the Chrysler Corp., recalls how the project began in June 1997 with a query to his professor on an idea for his senior project. Professor Taraza pulled out the announcement of a new DOE student competition. "The project was just what I was looking for," says Mr. Nahra, who recruited some classmates to join "Team Ethanol." Mr. Shinska, 23; Jeff Wuttke, 23; Jeff Jarvis, 21; and Christopher Day, 29 - all seniors in mechanical engineering - joined Mr. Nahra in crafting a proposal last spring.

"We wrote a 12-page proposal in 48 hours," Mr. Shinska said. Then the team waited. On July 4, Professor Taraza told them their proposal was one of 70 entries accepted. Teams from 14 schools and universities throughout the country were selected by the DOE, schools with wealthy sponsors such as the University of Nebraska, and high tech automobile engineering labs and competition experience such as the University of California at Riverside.

The Wayne State team began to research, organize and recruit new members. "Because WSU is a commuter campus, it is difficult to get people involved with these kinds of projects," Mr. Nahra said. But, eventually, the team grew to ten members. Newcomers were John C. Auld, 25; Anthony Morelli, 21; Clifford Lyons, 29; and Greg Goleski, 22, - all seniors in mechanical engineering. Bogdan Nitu, 33, also known as "Bogie", was the only graduate student to sign on.

The students received a standard 1997 Chevy Malibu on September 9 from GM, who supplied the same model to all the teams. "Bogie drove it into the bay of the Manufacturing Engineering building and there it sat for a month," Mr. Nahra said.

The team split into two groups: a fuel system modification team and an engine modification team. They faced several challenges in converting the car to run on E-85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol derived from corn. Ethanol corrodes rubber, steel and aluminum - the entire fuel system had to be changed. The team also faced a fuel-efficiency problem. E-85 is one-and-a-half times less efficient than gasoline. Last but not least, they needed to solve the issue of cold-starting. Ethanol has a hard time igniting the engine at temperatures below 30 degrees F.
The benefits of an ethanol powered car include reduced nitrous oxide and hydrocarbon emissions. Ethanol in place of gas powered vehicles reduces the release of green house gasses into the atmosphere as well as the country's need for exported oil.

 

After receiving $2,500 from the EAA, the University Alumni Association matched the donation. The College redirected a general Ford contribution to the project, adding $5,000 to the project's growing support. Others climbed aboard, including many sponsors, gently persuaded by Mr. Nahra and his teammates to contribute parts, equipment and services. In all, the team raised more than $15,000. Mr. Nahra earned the nickname "Santa Claus" because he always shows up in the lab with a bag of goodies. "Not donuts," said Mr. Wuttke. "More like free fuel injectors."

Team members enjoyed working with each other."We all know each other pretty well," Mr. Shinska said. "Nobody's afraid to say, "Hey, you're not pulling your weight". And they've learned a lot. "I learned how to get things done," said Mr. Day. "I learned how to network and get by with a small budget," said Mr. Wuttke. "I learned how to jump through hoops," added Mr. Shinska.

As the Challenge grew near, there were last minute preparations, but no frantic scrambling that has been the typical experience of student teams here the past several years. And on the morning of May 25 - a warm brilliant day that marked the opening ceremonies at the Proving Grounds - they were ready.

They didn't wait long for their first test, which came minutes before a lineup of dignitaries and officials made their pitches before the gathered crowd. Team members noticed smoke venting from underneath the hood. The small engine fire quickly dissipated as the students tried not to draw attention to a problem that threatened to extinguish their long sought dream. After a few tense hours, team members reinsulated and rerouted a wire connecting the coil heater, which was positioned too close to an engine component. Apparently, the wire short-circuited after the insulation became worn by a hot engine component.

After that, the rest of the week proved fairly mundane. Automotive engineering competitions do not match the excitement of road races. Mostly, there's a lot of standing around as the judges probe and test the emissions systems and time how long it takes the cars to start after spending all night in cold rooms.

It wasn't until Friday at the performance events held at the Black Lake test site that the team had something to get excited about. As the teams bunched together at the sidelines, an announcer read the top speed of each car as each hurtled down the one-quarter mile stretch. When car #9, driven alternatively by Mr. Auld and Mr. Wuttke, posted the best time in the first run, a cheer erupted from the Wayne State team. The Wayne State car proved the fastest in the field for all four runs, posting a top speed of 81 mph in 16.3 seconds.

Buoyed by their car's performance in the acceleration event, confident they had done well in the emissions event held the day before, team members held to the belief they might have a shot at a top ranking. But there was no way to tell for sure. The officials continued to tally the results.

On Saturday morning, Challenge officials surprised the teams and held a fuel economy event on the nearby oval track. It would be the last event, taking the place of the fuel economy event planned for the caravan trip between Milford and Washington.

The teams filled their cars with fuel, and drivers drove their vehicles 60 times around the 3.8 mile oval track, for a total of 228 miles. Then the vehicles were refueled to determine how much ethanol was consumed. Again, no announcement of the results. But observing how much fuel was needed to fill each 15 gallon capacity tank, team members had an inkling car #9 had done very well.

It would be three more days until the teams would learn any more results. Meanwhile, on the way to Washington, and during events there, they had a lot of time to get acquainted with the other teams and their cars.

There was the University of Waterloo, Ontario, with some very innovative ideas, and an articulate team captain who impressed the judges with his oral presentation, capturing first place. There was Mankato State (Minnesota), with its cool purple vehicle with ultra light composite hubcaps, and special suspension system that helped it win first place in the "driveability" event. There was UC-Riverside with one of the most interesting modifications -- a small distiller mounted under the hood to separate enough gas from the ethanol for cold starts. And there was the University of Nebraska team, which soon earned the reputation as the best financed team, backed by the Nebraska corn growers.

The teams formed a three-day caravan to Washington, the cars refueling with ethanol from a tank towed by competition officials. Some made the trip a family affair. Clifford Lyons drove with his wife and young son. Mr. Nitu drove with his wife, Daniela. And Mr. Jarvis' parents, Al and Arlene, joined the group in Washington. As the cars approached the Capitol, a motorcade was formed for the last stretch to the DOE building.

After tours of the city Monday, the Clean Cities parade and some ventures into Washington's nightlife, it finally came time for the awards ceremony. Greg Goleski described it as an emotional roller coaster. As the finishers were announced from sixth down to first, Wayne State was not named. There was only first place left to announce. "I thought, - Oh, well, we dropped out of sixth. Meanwhile, Jeff was running out to get the award already."