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Technical Paper

A Biodiesel Mini Baja Vehicle and Student Competition

2008-04-14
2008-01-1293
The SAE Mini Baja® competition is an extremely popular design competition that focuses on the design of an off-road vehicle for performance and cost-of-production. A 2006-07 EPA P3 Phase I grant was awarded to the University of Alabama at Birmingham to convert a vehicle created for the SAE Mini Baja® competition to a biodiesel vehicle. Because of the major size difference in the diesel engine chosen compared to the much smaller gasoline engine, conversion of the Baja vehicle required considerably more effort than expected. While many mechanical aspects of the bio-diesel conversion were more complicated than expected, the students were successful in creating bio-diesel and in modifying important vehicle systems. The students also gained a substantial understanding of the economical and environmental aspects of alternative fuel generation. Through the conversion experience gained at UAB, the rules for a new competition were explored.
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