Engineering students from the University of California, Davis, have won overall first place in the national FutureTruck competition. Teams had to modify a Chevrolet Suburban to increase fuel efficiency and lower tailpipe emissions, while preserving the performance that consumers want in a big sports utility vehicle.

"We're very happy that we did that well," said engineering professor Andy Frank, who supervised the UC Davis team. Competing against 14 universities from around the country, the UC Davis team beat out the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the University of Maryland to take overall first place.

The UC Davis vehicle uses a gas-electric hybrid engine. It can recharge its batteries by plugging into the domestic power supply and can drive up to 60 miles on electric power alone. As the batteries run down, the gas engine cuts in to supply extra power. The vehicle averages 25 to 30 miles per gallon, said Frank.

"We've improved the fuel efficiency of that truck by 60 per cent or more," Frank said. The competition showed that it is possible to build large vehicles that meet ultra-low emissions standards, he said.

The awards were presented in Washington, D.C., Wednesday evening following a week of competition at the General Motors proving grounds in Michigan.

The team and the truck will return to Davis in the next few days.

Note: A welcome celebration will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 19, at the Engineering II building on the UC Davis campus. For more information, contact the News Service.