
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, October 26, 1995                   TAG: 9510260040
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-12   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Short

TECH CAR TEAM CHOSEN

Virginia Tech has been selected by the sponsors of the FutureCar Challenge as one of 12 universities nationwide to help design the next generation of automobiles.

The challenge is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research, a joint research venture of Chrysler Corp., Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. In 1993, the federal government and the Big Three car makers formed the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles to develop fuel-efficient cars for mass production.

The automotive manufacturers donated cars to the 12 student teams. The Virginia Tech team, composed of both engineering and non-engineering students, received a Chevrolet Lumina.

The teams will transform standard cars into vehicles that offer up to three times their original fuel efficiency while maintaining the original prices, performance and convenience. Doug Nelson, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and one of the team's faculty advisers, explained that the goal of the FutureCar Challenge is to turn a family-sized sedan into a low-fuel vehicle with conventional features, such as working air-conditioners and heaters.

by CNB