At the intersection of mechanical and electrical engineering and the cutting edge of automotive technology are the hybrid cars slated to race this week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

For the eighth consecutive year, Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering will hold its Formula Hybrid Competition, which brings college engineering students from around the world to Loudon for the four-day event. Racing in high-performance hybrid and electric race cars they built, engineering students will participate in time trials and races that are free for the public to attend.

“I guess you could say innovation is mandated,” said Dartmouth’s Doulgas Fraser, the event’s director. “There are no off-the-shelf solutions, so the kids really have to think it up themselves.”

Students from the United States will be joined by teams from Canada, India and Turkey. While the checkered flag would be a bonus, the students use the opportunity to work with others from across the engineering discipline.

“One of the challenges is trying to get the electrical engineering students to work with the mechanical engineering students. When you look at a hybrid, you blend the two,” Fraser said.