GE-sponsored team takes human-powered vehicle to the top

A human-powered vehicle designed and built by a group of mechanical engineering students from the University of Nevada, Reno, finished first in the race portion of the recent Human Powered Vehicle Challenge in Portland, Ore.

A major supporter for the group was GE Energy's Optimization and Control business located in Minden, which has been a team sponsor for the past two years.

"Being a sponsor of this team from UNR exemplifies our commitment to engineering, technology and education in the state of Nevada." said Jeff Schnitzer, general manager of GE Energy. "We look forward to being a sponsor of this team in next year's competition."

The team showed off the two vehicles at the Minden plant on Aug. 14. GE employees tried out their own skills riding the vehicles, which are about 8 feet by 4 feet. The vehicles are custom built by the students using parts they manufacture in the school's metal shop or get from local bicycle shops.

"Overall, the team had a great year," said Michael Chilton, team vice-chair. "We learned a lot about design and fabrication, and we had a great time doing it. We couldn't have gotten anywhere without the support of sponsors like GE Energy in Minden. I can't tell you enough how grateful we are for the help they provided this year."

The HPV Challenge, an American Society of Mechanical Engineers event, drew 28 universities.

The 15-member Nevada team's vehicle, called Carmen Sandiego, finished the obstacle course-type utility event 14 seconds ahead of Colorado State University. With the results of the design portion added into the results of the engineering competition, the Nevada team finished second place overall.

"We couldn't be happier with the result," Chilton said. "From what I understand, this is the first time UNR has placed first in any of the races."

The event is meant to simulate everyday actions for which a person would normally use a car, such as picking up groceries, coming to a complete stop, going uphill, and navigating over speed bumps and rough terrain, he said.

"We look forward to continuing our success in this discipline, as we feel it is the overall intention of the competition to build bikes that will be able to replace cars," Chilton said.

The group also placed sixth overall in the single rider event, which is a combination of speed, endurance and design for a vehicle that holds a single rider, in this case a low-slung recumbent tricycle named Waldo.

The UNR trike was the only vehicle that did not have to stop for repairs after a mechanical breakdown, Chilton said.