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kong
04-23-2012, 03:46 AM
Car Made in Missouri Gets 358 Miles Per Gallon
KYTV in Springfield, Mo., reports a car designed by students at Aurora Junior High School gets 358 miles per gallon. The red roadster seats one, has three small bicycle wheels and starts with a pull cord. The steering column is similar to a bicycle's to turn the two front wheels. The car was designed as part of the Missouri SuperMileage Challenge.
* The car was not allowed to go over 30 mph per contest rules. The vehicle must also be able to make a turn within 35 feet of turning radius.
* The engine must be a 4-cycle engine made from the factory of a brand name such as Honda or Briggs & Stratton. Basically, the engines are from lawnmowers or even gas-powered trimmers.
* Unleaded fuel must power the lightweight vehicles. The engine can max out at six horsepower.
* For the 2012 contest, there were two divisions. The first was the stock division with unaltered factory engines. The second was the experimental division in which engines burn ethanol or blended fuels.
* The Aurora Junior High School team achieved the 358 miles per gallon rating over a 10-lap run. One run was calculated to have 437 miles per gallon.
* The Aurora team took first place. The junior high team's accomplishment was set apart due to the fact the annual contest is for high school teams.
* The entry fee for the Missouri SuperMileage Challenge was $5 to cover the costs of trophies and fuel. This year was the seventh annual contest to demonstrate how cars can get extreme gas mileage.
* This was the fourth year in a row a team from Aurora won the event. In 2011, the Aurora Advertiser reported the SuperMileage students from Aurora High School won the experimental division using B20 biodiesel to get 275 miles per gallon. The junior high team placed second out of 14 cars in 2011 in the stock division with 158 miles per gallon.
* The Missouri SuperMileage Challenge is held every spring in Warrensburg. The event is sponsored and sanctioned by the International Technology Education Association. There are similar competitions held in Minnesota, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan.
* SAE International sponsors a college-level event for nearly two dozen teams from the U.S. and Canada. The contest is similar in scope to the high school level. Teams must design a vehicle that gets the best gas mileage from factory engines donated by Briggs & Stratton.