The victorious FutureTruck team from the University of California, Davis, will be presented with a congratulatory resolution on the floor of the state Senate Thursday, July 12. State Senator K. Maurice Johannessen will move the resolution.
The presentation will take place at approximately 9 a.m., depending on the Senate schedule. The ºÙºÙÊÓƵ team's winning vehicle, a Chevrolet Suburban with a gas-electric hybrid engine that gets up to 30 miles per gallon, will be on display on the west Capitol steps from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. At noon, local lawmakers including Senator Johannessen will offer their congratulations on the Capitol steps. Student team spokesman Nat Meyr and engineering professor Andy Frank will also make some brief remarks.
The national FutureTruck competition challenges college student teams to modify a standard large sports utility vehicle to increase fuel efficiency and decrease pollution. At the same time, they have to maintain performance characteristics such as acceleration, towing and off-road driving -- the features consumers expect in a big SUV.
The competition was held from June 4-11 at the General Motors proving grounds in Michigan. The results were announced June 13 in Washington, D.C. Fifteen teams from around the country took part. ºÙºÙÊÓƵ was the only entry from California.
Media Resources
Andy Fell, Research news (emphasis: biological and physical sciences, and engineering), 530-752-4533, ahfell@ucdavis.edu
Matt Hargrove, Government and Community Relations, (530) 752-9796, mghargrove@ucdavis.edu
Andy Frank, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, (530) 752-8120, aafrank@ucdavis.edu