Every year, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) sponsors a competition, called the Formula SAE Project. The project is offered to college students in automotive engineering curriculum. The premise for the project is the team must build a car as an evaluation model for production. Cars must be based upon the Formula One race car style. Cars are tested for acceleration times, braking characteristics and handling. No monetary prizes are involved. This competition is done for pure research purposes and the satisfaction of winning an engineering competition.
Engineering Student Hieu Nguyen reported on new materials being investigated for engine blocks. The traditional material used---cast-iron---is functional but heavy. Aluminum alloys are used in some engines, but they are far weaker than iron. New alloys, combining magnesium and aluminum, are stronger yet lighter than aluminum. Another type of material investigated---Compacted Graphite Cast Iron (CGI)---is also being investigated. CGI is lighter yet stronger than cast iron. These new alloy projects are currently under investigation.
Different materials are being explored to make bodies. Conventional bodies are made out of sheet steel. While this is inexpensive, steel is also a heavy material. Aluminum and carbon graphite composites are being investigated as alternatives to steel. Before alternatives materials can be used in wide scale production, however, cost and manufacturing technology hurdles need to be overcome.
New engines are being explored, particularly in alternative fuel usage and fuel cell electric vehicles. A fuel cell's inputs are hydrogen and oxygen. By a chemical process, the gases produce electricity. A fuel cell's waste is water. The electricity is used to drive electric motors. Another area currently being investigated is biodiesel fuel production. An internal combustion engine can be easily converted to run on biodiesel, since its very close to conventional petroleum based diesel. Researcher Bernard J. Feldman theorizes that high-efficiency engines will be standard in the future.