Dartmouth's 12th Annual Formula Hybrid Competition: Experiential Learning on Wheels
Dartmouth's 12th annual Formula Hybrid Competition will take place April 30 – May 3 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH. Founded and run by Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, the competition features high-performance hybrid and electric race cars built by teams of undergraduate and graduate engineering students.
This year, 24 teams are registered for the nation's only Formula competition focusing on hybrid-car technology—providing students with a uniquely challenging experiential learning experience. Dartmouth based its event on the Formula SAE® competition, in which the Dartmouth Formula Racing (DFR) team competed for over 10 years.
Like Formula SAE®, students compete in aspects of design, acceleration, handling, and endurance of their vehicle and abide by a list of rules that ensure the students' safety while preserving the freedom to innovate. Formula Hybrid teams, however, are faced with the additional challenge of optimizing both energy efficiency and sustainability of materials used in their cars.
"This year is exciting because teams overall seem more prepared for this year's competition," says Sydney Garcia, Formula Hybrid Program Coordinator. "On Monday, the team that arrives most 'ready' for the competition will receive the new TestEquity 'Hit the Ground Running' Prize, and I think that will be a great way to kick off the competition!"
For spectators, the best day to attend is either Wednesday, May 2nd for the autocross and acceleration events that run from 10:00am to 3:30pm, followed by the annual BBQ hosted by Dartmouth Society of Engineers and the IEEE Student Chapter, or Thursday morning for the final Endurance Event.
