The Clean Snowmobile Challenge is a SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) collegiate design competition that challenges engineering students to reengineer an existing snowmobile for improved emissions and noise while maintaining or improving the performance characteristics of the original snowmobile. The modified snowmobiles are also expected to be cost-effective so that snowmobile outfitters could afford to purchase them and still make a profit.
In the just completed SAE Clean Snowmobile Contest at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the University of Waterloo was the first place winner in the overall contest. The following universities participated in the contest, which was sponsored by 10 environmental organizations that are concerned about emissions, fuel economy and performance by snowmobiles in environmentally sensitive areas. The Universities participating in the contest were: Colorado State University; Colorado School of Mines; Michigan Technological University; University of Waterloo; Minnesota State University-Mankato; University of Buffalo-SUNY; University of Idaho; University of Alberta; Clarkson University; Kettering University; University of Wyoming; University of Alaska-Fairbanks; University of Kansas.
The U of Waterloo snowmobile was equipped with a two-cycle engine and used Blue Marble two-cycle engine oil for the contest. The method of evaluating the final results was heavily weighted on emissions, noise and fuel economy. Many of the Universities chose to use four-cycle engines to take advantage of the supposedly inherent benefits on emissions from using a four-cycle engine.
There were nine categories judged. The University of Waterloo placed first in Best Performance, Best Fuel Economy, Most Practical Winner, Best Value Winner and Hill Climb Champion.
The results of this very significant test will be posted on the SAE website (
www.sae.org) in the near future.