Engineering Students Building "Shark" Supermileage Car

CEDARVILLE, OHIO, Sept. 28, 2017 -- Cedarville University will return to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Supermileage competition for the first time since 2010. And they’re bringing a new car.

Cedarville University engineering students are currently building its newest supermileage car that is based on this rendering. Photo provided by Cedarville University

The competition, to be held in Marshall, Michigan, isn't until June 2018. However, Cedarville's engineering students are already working on its new car.  The engineering students are expected to create a mock up (mold) of the cars' body by September 30, with the completion date of the supermileage car in December 2017.

The new supermileage car, named Karcharías (Greek word for “shark”), was designed by mechanical engineering students in the class of 2017. This year, four current mechanical engineering seniors will make the blueprint a reality as their senior design project. They  will be assisted by an underclassman team, who will help construct the car and the new engine. 

SAE supermileage cars compete to travel the farthest on one gallon of gas. Cedarville mechanical engineering department’s goal for Karcharías is 3,800 miles per gallon. The current record, held by Laval University, is 3,788 miles per gallon. Karcharías has a teardrop shape body, with two wheels in the front and one in the rear. It resembles a shark, like its name implies.

The most important components to effectively achieve supermileage is an aerodynamic shape, a high- efficiency engine, efficient transmission, easy-rolling chassis (the base frame of a motor vehicle) and skillful driving.

Dr. Larry Zavodney, senior professor of mechanical engineering and the team’s adviser, is hopeful as his team prepares for competition. “All these cars start as ideas on paper,” he said. He uses the time it takes to prepare for this competition to teach students about working cooperatively and problem-solving.

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,963 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/863afb11-967d-49ed-bda9-df787ca0efeb

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/043da8e7-b85b-43d1-a664-3ae2c1ba90fe

Mark D. Weinstein
Cedarville University
937-766-8800
[email protected]