Take That Chevy Volt!
University group tests new car.
A team of mechanical engineering students at California Polytechnic State University is prepping an ultra high-mileage, three-wheeled car for the upcoming Shell Eco-Marathon student competition. If all goes well, they’ll take first place with fuel economy more than 13 times higher than the 230 mpg General Motors claims the Chevrolet Volt will deliver — and Cal Poly car doesn’t even need batteries.
The Cal Poly Supermileage Team, launched in the late ’80s and resurrected in 2005, combines students from a senior project team and a department club to work on vehicles that deliver numbers that make hypermilers and plug-in hybrid enthusiasts weep. The team is working on two cars: the Black Widow (shown above), which took first place in the 2007 Eco-Marathon and second place in 2008 and 2009, and a new three-wheeler for the competition’s Urban Concept category.
