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A fuel consumption simulator was developed to help students in driver's education courses identify driving practices that maximize a vehicle's fuel economy. To maintain the interest of teenage students, a computer program was developed as a first-person driving simulation and was made to resemble the video-game driving simulators that are available for recreation. To keep the costs of using the simulator reasonably low for high schools, the simulator was developed for use with Windows based computers and off-the-shelf driving controls for video games. While the simulator was created for use with off-the-shelf equipment, the simulator uses an incompressible flow model of the intake and exhaust processes with realistic transmission and torque converter models to predict fuel consumption and vehicle performance. The engine and transmission models were calibrated using manufacturer reported engine performance data.

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.