Media Credit: Jessica Talley Members of the Challenge X Team, Tom Bougher and Brian Novoselich, both mechanical engineering grad students, and GM mentor of UT's team Chris Graham discuss the hybrid engine that the team is building in it's ETC lab on Thursday morning. The team, which includes both undergraduate and graduate students, received a $7,000 check from GM on Thursday.

The UT Challenge X Team is a step closer to finishing its hybrid vehicle it started working on two years ago. The team received a $7,257 check from General Motors to put toward the three-year national competition.

The team's goal is to create a more energy-efficient vehicle and "think green," said Lev Shuhatovich, electrical engineering senior and co-captain of the team.

Now, in their second year of the competition, the team is focusing on outfitting the car, a Chevy Equinox donated by GM. The first two years' focus were modeling and simulations, and the third year will consist of redefining the design and making it work better.

"The competition is modeled after the GM process," Shuhatovich said. "However, GM's process is approximately 18 months, and we have three years."

UT is among 16 other universities throughout North America competing this summer, including Texas Tech University.

"We're trying to create a diesel engine that is compatible with gas," said Brain Novaselich, a mechanical engineering graduate student and co-captain of the Challenge X Team. "Diesel fuel's emissions are harder to clean up compared to the emissions from using an engine running on gas."

Challenge X consists of 25 to 30 members who have already raised approximately $100,000 in donations and equipment. "It's hard to get a bunch of engineers to do marketing," Novaselich joked.

The team is headed to Mesa, Ariz., in June for their annual competition which checks the status of their project as well as allows them to gain permission to move into the next and final year of the challenge.

"I hope the University shows up with a vehicle that operates and takes an engineering risk," said Ronald D. Matthews, professor of mechanical engineering and head of the Engines Research Program. "Taking a risk was how we won the title of World Champions in 2000 during the ethanol challenge."

The Advanced Vehicle Technology Challenge Competition, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, began in 1988. Since its inception, the series has included challenges that promote the use of alternate fuels such as biodiesel and reformulated gasoline, Matthews said.

"Students at the University are gaining some hands-on applied experience through the program [that] they don't necessarily gain through a class room," said Chris Graham, powertrain engineer and GM mentor for UT's team. "It makes them more valuable people for GM to hire. I am working with some really talented people."

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