CSULB to compete in 'clean' race

CSULB's battery vehicle to face contestants from across America in clean air rally

Cal State Long Beach will be participating in the 1995 Department of Energy Clean Air Road Rally, using a black 1974 Porsche 914 which was converted from a fuel-burning engine to a natural gas vehicle that runs on solar power and batteries.

The rally will begin on Thursday at the Los Angeles Zoo, and will end at The Pyramid on Saturday, where an awards ceremony will

take place at 2 p.m. It is designed to show how alternative-energy vehicles perform on the road, and the rally is the only one of its kind in the Western United States.

Forty-eight alternative-fuel vehicles will be participating, including CSULB's entry and those from other colleges, universities, and corporations from California, Michigan, New York, Oklahoma, and Washington.

The rally is a point-to-point competition that will test and showcase the world's top alternative-energy vehicles and will run through 17 cities throughout Southern California. The cars will compete for points awarded in such areas as range, acceleration, handling, and course time.

Led by engineering major Stu Long, eight CSULB engineering students participated in constructing the Porsche. He said that the car can go up to speeds of 80 to 85 miles per hour, and he hopes it can cover 80 to 100 miles without recharging the batteries.

The Porsche runs with 18, 108-volt batteries, nine in the front and nine in the back of the car. The car also holds an on-board oven, which Long said will heat up the batteries faster, making the car more efficient.

Long said that he's been working on the project for over two years. The students have put more than 60 hours a week into constructing and refining to car this semester alone. The project has been satisfying, especially with the dedication and the motivation that the other students have put into with the project Long said.

The car, Long said, cost about $12,000 to make. They have received help from companies such as Trojan batteries, Hughes Aircraft, and Goodyear Tires. Associated Students, Inc. has also been helpful with financing the project, Long said.

CSULB began its work with alternative fuel vehicles in 1992, when students converted a gasoline-powered Karmann Ghia to battery-power. Students won $500 from the International Electric Grand Prix for the Karmann Ghia project.

The project was followed by 3,000 hours of work on a twoseat Porsche from a Whittier muffler garage, created by members of the CSULB chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. It was the only university-made electric car at the 1993 Long Beach Grand Prix Expo.

"Cal State Long Beach has emerged as the region's leader in developing advanced transportation systems," CSULB Dean of the College of Engineering Richard Williams said. "A Prime example came several years ago when we won the collegiate division of the International Electric Grand Prix and now we are hosting the Clean Air Road Rally. This encourages our students to get involved with the development of zero-pollution automobiles."

Mechanical engineering professor Bruce Torby serves as faculty advisor to the student effort drawn from CSULB's mechanical engineering and electrical engineering departments.

"The electric car project offers an ideal means of extending the classroom to real-life issues involving current engineering," he said.

"The State of California has mandated that zero emission cars can be introduced and sold in California by 1998. The auto makers are rushing to meet that deadline but the technological problems they have encountered have been daunting. Our students, working in the forefront of this technology, feel a strong sense of motivation and excitement."

Registration for the rally will be on Thursday at the Los Angeles Zoo. Participants will drive through the San Gabriel Valley the next day and finish at the South Coast Air Quality Management District at Diamond Bar. The rally will conclude at The Pyramid on April 1. Awards will be given out recognizing the best all-around vehicles.