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IAT Student Competition Seeks to Create Perfect BUV Design

Every year the Institute for Affordable Transportation (IAT) hosts a Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) competition amongst Midwestern colleges and universities. We started the competition back in 2000, when the IAT was founded, as a way to perfect the BUV design. We were crowdsourcing before there was even a word for “crowdsourcing.”

Student teams design and build different BUVs to compete in a series of tests and events to determine the best design for the year. Many of the student builders are engineering students completing their capstone projects at the end of their college careers.

This is a way for them to apply everything they’ve learned into improving on an already improved design. Because the BUV is used in a variety of locales without any infrastructure, the test vehicles must navigate a variety of different terrains, including an obstacle course, mud pit, mogul field, and an endurance track. (Check our video from 2008.)

The race track the competitors race on is 2.1 miles (mi) and each design has to carry three 55 gallon water jugs across the course. Every third lap the water jugs must be emptied in a nearby pond and loaded up with water again so a pumping mechanism is also involved in the competition.

Our most recent competition winner for 2014 was the University of Cincinnati Bearcats club team with Alfred State College (a.k.a. State University of New York) in second and Purdue University’s Cameroon Pup team finishing in third.

We would like to thank all of the teams who participated in the event and would like to invite all schools interested to come to the 15th Annual BUV Competition April 17-18, 2015 in Batavia, Ohio.

Click here for more information on the BUV Design and Drive competition.

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How the BUV Supports Environmental Sustainability

A major concern for many businesses and individuals today is how to be environmentally friendly, and to create sustainable products and sustainable practices. The Institute for Affordable Transportation (IAT) has found ways to be environmentally sustainable with its Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) by reusing the back end of recovered pickup trucks, and choosing items that are easy and cheap to replace.

The BUV as a school bus.

The BUV as a school bus.

We re-use the back ends of pickups because reusing materials is more efficient than recycling as the materials don’t need to be reprocessed before it is used again.

Compared to a regular pickup, the BUV has many advantages. It gets approximately 50 miles per gallon (mpg) compared to the 25 mpg of a regular truck. It also is biodiesel-ready when most pick-up trucks are not.

Using a biodiesel engine helps the BUV create less waste. Biodiesel is made from renewable resources and has lower emissions into the atmosphere compared to a regular pickup truck. The BUV also uses 75% less fuel in off-road conditions by having a biodiesel engine which is important. Many areas where BUVs are used have no official roads, only paths.

The big question is whether biodiesel works in Africa. In the areas the BUV is located, the African countries have access to the jatropha plant. These plants have more than four times as much fuel compared to the soybean plant when turned into oil, making it a great source for biodiesel.

As a result, the IAT is able to encourage environmentally sustainable practices, by helping create a need for local biodiesel manufacturing and supply, rather than shipping in gas and oil from other parts of the world.

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IAT Student Competition Seeks to Create Perfect BUV Design

Every year the Institute for Affordable Transportation (IAT) hosts a Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) competition amongst Midwestern colleges and universities. We started the competition back in 2000, when the IAT was founded, as a way to perfect the BUV design. We were crowdsourcing before there was even a word for “crowdsourcing.”

The way the competition works is that student teams design and build different BUVs to compete in a series of tests and events to determine the best design for the year. Many of the student builders are engineering students completing their capstone projects at the end of their college careers. This is a way for them to apply everything they’ve learned into improving on an already improved design. Because the BUV is used in a variety of locales without any infrastructure, the test vehicles must navigate a variety of different terrains, including an obstacle course, mud pit, mogul field, and an endurance track.

The race track the competitors race on is 2.1 miles (mi) and each design has to carry three 55 gallon water jugs across the course. Every third lap the water jugs must be emptied in a nearby pond and loaded up with water again so a pumping mechanism is also involved in the competition.

Our most recent competition winner for 2014 was the University of Cincinnati Bearcats club team with Alfred State College (a.k.a. State University of New York) in second and Purdue University’s Cameroon Pup team finishing in third.

We would like to thank all of the teams who participated in the event and would like to invite all schools interested to come to the 15th Annual BUV Competition April 17-18, 2015 in Batavia, Ohio. Click here for more information.

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Horsepower vs. Torque for the BUV

When talking about engines and power, we’re often asked about the difference between horsepower and torque. What do they do, and what do they have to offer in terms of an engine?

The best way to describe think about it is that torque is what throws you back in the seat when you step on the accelerator, and horsepower is what keeps you pinned there.

Loaded down BUV

You may not go very fast loaded down this much, but you’ll be able to move it.

For the Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) that travels over unfinished roads it needs more torque to push the vehicle through the rough roads in Africa, where most vehicles are located, with brute force. Torque is the power that gets you up steep hills, over large rocks, and through big holes in the road. Horsepower keeps you moving down the road, but torque is what powers you over the obstacles.

The BUV has both the torque and the horsepower to make it over the rough roads in Africa and makes it an affordable and efficient vehicle. We’ve found the right combination of the two to make this a useful means of transportation over any terrain.

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2014 IAT BUV Student Competition Results

120x90-vehicle2.jpgThank you for a safe and exciting BUV Competition. Thanks also to Tuff Torq Corporation and Yanmar Corporation for sponsoring the event!

Scoring: There were a few slight score corrections from the point totals announced. The only change that affected team rankings Trine’s score on Spec Check which caused Trine and UC Club to switched positions. Trine received a “0” for Spec Check by mistake. The scorekeeper did not see or possibly receive the sheet and gave Trine a 0.  In reality, they received a 3.3 for the event which put their total score at 72.95. My apologies for not catching this error ahead of time.

Special congratulations to the winners:

  • 1st Place: Calera
  • 2nd Place: Purdue University
  • 3rd Place: Trine University
  • Customer Choice Award: Alfred State College (selected by JAARS – a leader in mission logistics and technology)
  • Most Innovative Feature: Purdue University for their belt transmission
  • Best Free Style Design University of Cincinnati – Club 1
  • Enduro Event Winner: Calera

Thank you to the teams donating their vehicles:

  • Northern Illinois University: Kenya
  • Union University: Kenya or Haiti
  • Purdue University: Cameroon, Africa

PR: Teams are encouraged to notify their university Public Relations department ASAP. They will assist you in submitting an article to your local newspaper. Please email me your favorite 3 photos and favorite video clip from the competition.

 

Employment: If you are interested in an internship, please send us your resume.

Thank you also for keeping safety a priority.

 

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