文献翻译-年轻程师竞相建造更高效更环保的汽车.docVIP

附录A Budding engineers compete to build more efficient, greener cars. University teams take varied technological approaches in vying for the Challenge X prize. The 17 Chevrolet Equinox sport utility vehicles that pulled up to the US Department of Energy headquarters on 21 May were identically equipped when they came off the assembly line in 2005. Four years later all resemblance ended at the exterior. In the intervening time, teams of students from 17 universities had torn the guts out of their donated crossover SUVs—those built on a car frame—and installed radically new drive systems of their own design. The goal of the makeover contest, sponsored by DOE, General Motors Corp, and others, was to improve the fuel economy and reduce the tailpipe emissions of the SUVs without sacrificing vehicle safety or performance. For GM and other US automakers, the Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility competition got a new generation of engineers and scientists to work on sustainable and innovative solutions to reducing the countrys dependence on oil, GM vice president for environment and energy Beth Lowery told the crowd at the ceremonial finish line. GM is beginning to move to electric-powered vehicles, she said, adding, There has never been a more exciting time to be involved in the auto industry. The winning team, from Mississippi State University, achieved a 38% gain in mileage over the stock vehicle with a through-the-road parallel hybrid system powered by a turbo-diesel engine running on 20% biodiesel fuel. Through-the-road parallel hybrids, the architecture selected by 13 teams, feature one set of wheels powered by the engine and the other set driven by electric motors. Ryan Williams, an MSU mechanical engineering undergraduate, said his team used computer-aided design software to help marry the drive train to the vehicle. Team members fabricated the one-of-a-kind brackets and other necessary structural components using computer numerical control tools availab