• July 06, 2018

    University of Idaho’s Clean Snowmobile Team takes home the gold (four times)!

    Early last March, University of Idaho’s Clean Snowmobile Team participated in the SAE International Clean Snowmobile Challenge (CSC) at Michigan Technological University, from which they brought home a number of awards for their innovative designs.

    The PacTrans consortium member’s Clean Snowmobile team is made up of both graduate and undergraduate students and has been competing in the challenge since 2001, taking home first place in 2002, 2003, and 2007. The team’s aim is to reduce emissions and build a quieter machine that remains reliable and maintains performance.

    The SAE International CSC is an engineering and design competition that challenges college and university students to reinvent and modify existing snowmobiles, which are then judged based on a variety of sustainable categories regarding emissions and fuel economy, as well as more design and function based classifications, like acceleration and handling.

    Ultimately, students attempt to develop mobiles that would be acceptable to use in national parks, pristine areas, and other environmentally sensitive spaces. In addition to reengineering a quieter machine that is both more fuel-efficient and cleaner burning, students must also strive to make their mobiles cost-effective and comfortable for the operator’s use.

    This year’s challenge, hosted by the Keweenaw Research Center and the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, featured the use of snowmobiles powered by either a special gasoline or a diesel mix. In the gasoline categories, UI’s team was rewarded for best acceleration, best handling, best value, and CAN-DO-E-Controls. Furthermore, the team was able to successfully complete the endurance run.

    Congratulations to UI’s Clean Snowmobile Team for their achievements at this year’s challenge, and good luck to them with their future competitions!