FEV, Inc. Announces Winners of FEV Powertrain Development Award

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced powertrain and
vehicle systems engineering company FEV, Inc. announced the recipients of the
FEV Powertrain Development Award, awarded to three collegiate teams that
designed and developed exemplary powertrain solutions in the 2008 Formula SAE
competition held May 14 - 18 at Michigan International Speedway near Brooklyn,
MI.
The Award was presented on Sunday, May 18 during the awards ceremony that
was held at the conclusion of the competition. The Powertrain Development
Award considers aspects such as performance, fuel economy, endurance and cost
in determining a winner and uses a quantitative scoring system that is already
well known and tested.
The winning teams were:
1st place: Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), 808.4 points,
$1,250 prize
2nd place: University of Western Australia, 672.2 points, $500 prize
3rd place: State University of New York - Buffalo, 656.7 points, $250
prize

"FEV is very pleased to be an award sponsor for the Formula SAE again this
year," said Robert J. Last, vice president of operations and communications
for FEV. "This program, and the preparation that goes into developing these
vehicles, lays a solid, practical foundation in preparing these students for
careers in the automotive industry. It is truly a pleasure to be involved and
to see the exuberance that these students exhibit when faced with complex
engineering problems in designing, developing and fabricating a vehicle that
performs well within a set of very strict performance criteria."
In addition to adhering to the rules specified by the SAE, which can be
found on its Web site, www.sae.org , students will have also mastered critical
elements of strategy planning, project management, contingency planning, and
logistics management, according to Last.
"What SAE has put together in the FSAE event is a microcosm of the
complete engineering project cycle. It's not limited to design, development
and build. These students also need to demonstrate marketing and business
development skills as they raise supporting funds for their projects and are
required to defend their project in a detailed presentation that is, in
essence, an engineering study that specifies how they developed their vehicle
solution, along with all the calculations that support their results.
Mastering these skills truly helps prepare the students for success in the
industry," said Last.
The FEV Powertrain Development Award emphasizes the elements that are most
important in the development of a powertrain and provides the engineering
student and FSAE team with an "equation" that can be optimized, much like the
product attribute decisions that today's powertrain designers and developers
must make as they perform their day-to-day activities. This results in
multiple solutions that a team can employ to win. Full details of the weight
factors and scoring system are available on the SAE website:
http://students.sae.org/competitions/formulaseries/fsae/corpsponsors/fev_rules
.pdf . (Please copy and paste the above link into your browser)
The winning team from RMIT finished nearly 140 points ahead of the rest of
the field and dominated the competition for the 2008 FEV award. The RMIT
solution featured a carbon fiber monocoque body, coupled with a
single-cylinder Yamaha WR450 engine with a 5-speed Yamaha gearbox and
electronic fuel injection. This resulted in a quick, durable and fuel
efficient, light-weight package that posted excellent scores in every
category.
The University of Western Australia used a Honda CBR600 with 2-stage fuel
injection system and an ECU controlled water pump and fan, a package that
yielded a second-place trophy from FEV.
The SUNY-Buffalo team adapted a Briggs & Stratton V-twin engine that was
air-cooled, combined with electronic fuel injection and a CVT gearbox.
About Formula SAE
The Formula SAE(R) competition is for SAE student members to conceive,
design, fabricate, and compete with small formula-style racing cars. The
restrictions on the car frame and engine are limited so that the knowledge,
creativity, and imagination of the students are challenged. The cars are built
with a team effort over a period of about one year and are taken to the annual
competition for judging and comparison with approximately 120 other vehicles
from colleges and universities throughout the world. The end result is a great
experience for young engineers in a meaningful engineering project as well as
the opportunity of working in a dedicated team effort.
About FEV
The FEV Group is an internationally recognized powertrain and vehicle
engineering company that supplies the global transportation industry. FEV
offers a complete range of engineering services, providing support across the
globe to customers in the design, analysis, prototyping, powertrain and
transmission development, as well as vehicle integration, calibration and
homologation for advanced internal combustion gasoline-, diesel-, and
alternative-fueled powertrains. FEV also designs, develops and prototypes
advanced vehicle / powertrain electronic control systems and hybrid-electric
engine concepts that address future emission and fuel economy standards. The
FEV Test Systems division is a global supplier of advanced test cell,
instrumentation and test equipment. The FEV Group employs a staff of over
1,700 highly skilled specialists at advanced technical centers on three
continents. FEV, Inc. employs approximately 300 personnel at FEV's North
American Technical Center in Auburn Hills, MI.
SOURCE FEV, Inc.

Leah Heidt of FEV Engine Technology, Inc., +1-248-373-6000, heidt@fev-et.com;
or Marc Harlow, +1-810-599-2558 cell, marc@harlowpr.com, or Joe Rohatynski,
+1-313-378-6570 cell, joe@joepr.com, both of Rohatynski-Harlow Public
Relations, for FEV