UW FutureTruck wins second national title

For the second year in a row, a team of students from UW–Madison has won the national FutureTruck Competition.

The UW–Madison team, based in the College of Engineering, took first place among the 15 teams competing from universities throughout North America. The team scored 841 points out of a possible 1,000 points, outdistancing runner-up University of California-Davis by 54 points.

The competition pits student teams that have spent a year modifying sport-utility vehicles provided by the Ford Motor Co. Points are awarded in a number of categories, including handling, braking, fuel efficiency, workmanship, towing capability, off-road performance, design, acceleration and technical reports.

The competition allows student teams to conduct research and work on better fuel efficiency, emissions and materials technology for sport utility vehicles, without being restricted by the technical and financial constraints typically involved in a mass-production vehicle.

This year’s competition was held from June 1-12 at Ford’s test tracks in Michigan. The UW–Madison team won a first-place trophy and a check for $6,000 for its win. Following the competition, the UW–Madison FutureTruck stayed at Ford’s Dearborn, Michigan, headquarters to take part in Ford’s Centennial celebration honoring the company’s 100 years in the automotive business.

The UW–Madison team garnered first-place wins in the categories of: best on-road fuel efficiency; best vehicle design report; best off-road performance; best workmanship; and best technical report. The team also won the Delphi Advanced Technology Award.

Ford Motor Company and the U.S. Department of Energy are the primary sponsors for the FutureTruck competition. Argonne National Laboratory, a DOE research and development facility, provides competition management, technical and logistical support. Some 16 other government and industry sponsors also support the program.