EMU’s Super-Mileage Car has already achieved 200 miles per gallon of gasoline, and it’s not done yet. Students Laura Benner, Ben Bontrager-Singer, Riley Gonzalez, Jacob Hess, Ethan Klassen, Micaiah Landis, Adam Stoltzfus, Lleyton Stutzman, Noah Swartzentruber, and Guadalupe Tenorio Ramirez have all been working on the project this year. 

“The Super-Mileage Car was originally started back in 2019 to give students hands-on opportunities to learn design and fabrication,” says Senior Ben Bontrager-Singer, one of the car’s designers. “Since then, we had a crowdfunding campaign where we were able to successfully raise nearly $10,000! Additionally, Facilities have renovated the garage at Anderson House to give us a much more appropriate space to work.” 

The vehicle is being designed with the goal of participating in the Shell Eco-Marathon Competition, a global academic program which encourages aspiring engineers to collaborate and innovate toward a clean-energy future. This year, the US event will take place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in mid-April. 

In preparation for the Shell event, the Super-Mileage Car team has been making various improvements to their original vehicle, including an aerodynamic frame and enhanced data collection, which the team hopes will get them to 400 miles per gallon, doubling the mileage of last year’s car. 

To help the team reach past their previous record, Senior Ethan Klassen has been working on a math-based approach to squeeze every last bit of mileage out of the car. “This entails developing a mathematical model for the most fuel-efficient driving strategy for the car, as well as researching methods of engine and transmission tuning along with chassis and aerodynamic refinement.” Klassen is optimistic that “the team can produce a winning car in the future.”

Senior Riley Gonzalez started working on the mechanical aspects of the car last year. “For example, I’ve worked on brake and gas pedal mounting, fuel system integration with the engine, and helping to cut weight anywhere we can.” Gonzalez is optimistic about the Shell competition, saying, “We are very confident that we will have a functional prototype car and that we can beat the calculated fuel efficiency of last year’s car, which was around 200 MPG.”

Like Gonzalez, Sophomore Adam Stoltzfus has been working on various parts of the car. “I’ve kind of been working small amounts on a bunch of different things, like wiring, body, and frame.” Though many of the team’s members are graduating this year, Stoltzfus hopes “that there is still interest in the future to grow the program and maybe we could get a new shop with better tooling.” 

Junior Jacob Hess has been a specialist in this project, working on data collection so that the car’s performance can be measured in real time. “The data we get from the car is some typical stuff: RPM, gas usage, GPS location, and speed.” Though he came into the project with experience in programming, Hess acknowledges that “I don’t have as much knowledge on the mechanics side of the car as other people in the group do, and I’ve been asking a lot of questions. It’s been a great learning experience.”  Looking to future years of the Super-Mileage Car project, Hess hopes that “even though the people that have been central to leadership graduate, we will be able to continue with the car.”

If you are interested in joining the Super-Mileage Car team, you can email ben.bontrager-singer@emu.edu for more information.