WWU to get emissions tested at 10 a.m., will run safety tests Tuesday at X Prize competition

June 28, 2010

Matthew Anderson

University Communications

The Western Washington University X Prize team is one of just 14 teams that have moved on to week two of knockout round testing at the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize competition, which continues today at Michigan International Speedway in Detroit.

The team from WWU's Vehicle Research Institute will take Viking 45 to the track for emissions testing at 10 a.m. PDT today. Click here to watch the testing live online. Dynamic safety tests for WWU will take place on Tuesday.

Teams that are still in the running, according to a blog post on the Progressive X Prize website:

  • Aptera (California)
  • Edison2 (Virginia)
  • Illuminati Motor Works (Illinois)
  • amp (Ohio)
  • Tata Motors Limited (United Kingdom)
  • Li-Ion Motors (North Carolina)
  • RaceAbout Association (Finland)
  • Western Washington University (Washington)
  • ZAP (California)
  • FVT Racing (Canada)
  • Spira (Thailand)
  • Commuter Cars (Washington)
  • TW4XP (Germany)
  • X-Tracer Team (Switzerland)

Several vehicles were eliminated after the efficiency tests last week, including both cars from West Philadelphia High School. A list of the cars eliminated and the cars still in the competition is available at http://auto.xprize.org/team-central.

WWU didn't encounter any major problems in completing last week's tests, which included rigorous tests for miles per gallon and greenhouse gas emissions during simulated highway, city and urban driving. WWU's miles per gallon equivalent for those tests was 92 MPGe, but 10 MPGe were deducted after a penalty was assessed for problems related to a faulty 12-volt battery, dropping WWU's total down to 82 MPGe. The required minimum to move into week two of the knockout round was 67 MPGe. WWU also aced a range test that required Viking 45 to run for 68 miles without stopping to refuel or recharge.

The emissions tests are only for vehicles with internal combustion engines. WWU's Viking 45 runs on a combination of an electric engine, powered by batteries, and a gasoline-powered internal combustion engine. In the emissions tests, each vehicle will be connected to emissions test equipment and will complete eight miles on the track, or four laps, with an average speed of roughly 23 miles per hour. There will be six stops per lap.

The dynamic safety tests consists of several parts, according to the X Prize website:

  • The first part has two elements, an acceleration (0 to 60 mph) test and a braking (60 to 0 mph) test. The test consists of acceleration from rest to 60 mph. Upon reaching 60 mph, the driver will continue to hold his or her speed until the vehicle reaches the braking test area, whereupon the driver applies the brakes. The requirement for successfully completing this event is 0 – 60 mph in 15 seconds or less for the mainstream class and 18 seconds or less for the alternative class vehicles (of which WWU is a part). Required braking distance is 170 feet or less for both classes.
  • The second part of this event is an accident avoidance test (double lane change). Generally, the driver will enter the test area under the command of the test team and drive the event at the prescribed speed. Upon completion of the pass through the test area, the driver returns to the starting area and will continue to run the test under the direction of the test team at increasing speeds until successfully passing at 45 mph without hitting any cones.
  • The third part is a highway acceleration (40 to 65 mph) test. This consists of acceleration from rest to 40 mph. Upon reaching 40 mph, the driver will continue to his or her speed until the vehicle reaches the acceleration test area, whereupon the driver will accelerate to 65 mph. The requirement for successfully completing this event is a 40 to 65 mph acceleration time of 9 seconds or less for both classes. While participation is mandatory, unsuccessful completion of this test will not result in elimination from the competition.
  • The fourth part is a lateral acceleration test. At the staging area, each vehicle will be outfitted with a lateral acceleration readout device to give the driver feedback as to the current value of lateral acceleration. The driver will enter the test area (a circle 300 feet in diameter) under the command of the test team and drive the course at a progressively increasing speed. In order to successfully pass this test, vehicles must achieve at least 0.7g lateral acceleration. Failure to reach this lateral acceleration level or reaching the limit of stability of the vehicle prior to 0.7g will constitute failure of the test. While participation is mandatory, unsuccessful completion will not result in elimination from the competition.

Successful completion of all events but the highway acceleration and lateral acceleration tests is required for vehicles to be eligible to compete in the finals stage of the competition.

Stay up to date

In addition to following the car's performance live online, try these other ways of keeping in touch with the Viking 45's progress through the X Prize competition:

Twitter:

Facebook:

Blogs:

More:

  • Check back here at Western Today for any updates as they come available.