The University of Michigan Supermileage team is an engineering design team with the

goal of building a vehicle that achieves 3,300 miles per gallon using a gas powered lawn mower
engine. UM Supermileage was founded in 2010 with only 6 members, and has since grown to
include 30 members from the College of Engineering, the College of LS&A, and the Ross
School of Business. We participate in two competitions each year, the first being Shell Ecomarathon, which takes place in Houston, TX, and SAE Supermileage, which takes place in
Marshall, MI.
The two competitions differ in that Shell Eco-marathon includes teams from high school
and college, while SAE Supermileage is open only to collegiate teams. In addition, Shell Ecomarathon accepts entries in categories such as gasoline, electric, solar, and hydrogen powered,
but SAE Supermileage requires a gas-powered vehicle. Both competitions are based on
achieving the highest mileage, measured by comparing the change in fuel level after a
predetermined number of laps around a track. However, the SAE Supermileage competition also
includes a design component for which UM Supermileage won second place two years ago. This
year, based on a rigorous computer model and optimization program, we predict a mileage of
2,300 miles per gallon. This forecast puts UMSM among the top teams at Shell Eco-marathon,
where we will be competing against the reigning North American record holder at 3,587 MPG.
We began work on our current vehicle almost a year before the competition. Even in the
summer, students were designing the body and sketching out new steering geometries. The
vehicle is named Cypress; just as that tree is known for its longevity, we hope for our vehicle to
last for a long time on just a little bit of fuel.
The team has five sub-teams: Race Strategy, Engine, Body, Driver Interface and
Integration, and Project Management. Each sub-team focuses on producing the most efficient
components possible while maintaining safety and usability. The Engine team works to convert
a stock Briggs & Stratton lawnmower engine to a powertrain that we can use in competition.
This base engine is required to participate in the SAE competition. Major alterations include
changing the carburetor to an electronic fuel injections system, tightening the cylinder sleeve,
and converting the flathead system to an overhead system. Through these methods, we maintain
better control of our fuel input while decreasing the amount of fuel needed to run the engine.
Specifically, our aim was to reduce displacement, which in turn reduces power output. Our
design requirements do not need a high acceleration, so by reducing the displacement of our
engine by about 1/3, we can achieve an engine efficiency of approximately 30%. At the same
time, we modify our engine to utilize the highest compression ratio, a measure of the greatest
possible volume of the combustion cylinder over the lowest. In order to prevent engine knocking,
we designed our compression ratio to be as close to 15 to 1 as possible.
One of the most important changes to our engine is the conversion from a carburetor to
an electronic fuel injection system. Carburetors function based on Bernoullis principle, where
more fuel is pulled into the engine when air flows through the engine. UM Supermileage uses a
port injection kit that is controlled by a Pi Innovo M220 Electronic Control Unit (ECU). Through
this ECU, we control spark timing and the amount of fuel going into the engine. This ECU takes
inputs such as crank position, manifold pressure, air temperature, and throttle position to output
the optimal injection timing, spark timing, and oil pump rate.
We next tuned and calibrated the ECU using an engine dynamometer. Holding the engine
at specific, known RPM, we calibrated the maximum torque possible. Similarly, by running the
engine at constant speed and fueling rate, we calibrated spark timing to maximize torque output
without causing engine knocking.

Engine team collaborates with our Driver Interface and Integration team to design the
vehicle powertrain. In order to maintain our high level goal of reaching 3,300 MPH, we
determined that our powertrain must have an efficiency of at least 92%. Based on this
requirement, we use a chain drive, which are generally rated at around 95% efficient. The
secondary design condition is based on the appropriate gear ratios required by our vehicle. While
a lower gear ratio is better for steady state cruising, we also had to consider the time and energy
to get our vehicle up to speed from a cold start. Our vehicle uses a 6:1 gear ratio, and we utilize a
technique known as slipping the clutch in order to get our engine to a high RPM before
engaging the chain drive to transmit power to the wheel. In order to keep our vehicle simple and
lightweight, the engine sends power only to the single rear wheel. We steer and brake with the
two front wheels. Again, this system was designed with simplicity and weight in mind. In road
vehicles, a differential allows two parallel wheels to rotate at different speeds, useful when
turning a corner. Using an Ackerman steering geometry, we are able to bypass the need for a
heavy differential.
While the creation of the body requires plenty of material and long hours spent sanding,
shaping, and perfecting, the end product is one of our most important areas of optimization. The
Body sub-team designs and builds a lightweight, aerodynamic shell made entirely from carbon
fiber, while lightweight foam backed with more carbon fiber provides a frame for additional
support and structure. Building it takes three major steps. First, the male mold has to be cut from
blocks of 20 to 30 lb foam. We put the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle, then fill gaps and
sand until the body is smooth, normally up to 3000 grit sandpaper. Then, we perform a wet layup
using fiberglass and polyester resin to cover the male mold. Once this has cured, we remove the
hardened fiberglass pieces, known as the female mold. Finally, we use a technique called
vacuum infusion to form the carbon fiber body. The vacuum infusion ensures that we a minimum
amount of resin in order to reduce weight. The carbon fiber shell itself weighs only 13 pounds,
an impressive feat for a vehicle almost 10 feet long and 2.5 feet wide. The body is designed in
Solidworks with the aid of ANSYS fluid flow and static test modeling. We later validate some of
these numbers in the University of Michigan Wind tunnel with a scale model of our vehicle.
Taking into account the Reynolds number, we tested the model at winds up to 120 mph at
various yaw angles. Our vehicle has an aerodynamic drag coefficient of about .097. For
comparison, a Ford Focus has a
= .295, and a Toyota Prius has a
= .25. Most passenger
concept cars are in the .15-.22 range [1].
In order to minimize frontal area, the driver lies supine within the driver compartment.
This gives the vehicle a low profile and low center of gravity. This position also keeps the driver
safe by preventing the vehicle from rolling over around curves. The vehicle correspondingly has
very low ground clearance - less than four inches from the road to our wheel covers! This is
necessary to achieve our low drag coefficient; the body is comprised of long, flowing curves to
best direct air flow, and large wheel holes would interfere with this.
UM Supermileage uses optimization models in Excel Solver in order to determine the
most advantageous race strategy. The basis of these optimization models is the road load
equation, = + + + . The rolling resistance, gravitational, inertial, and
aerodynamic drag forces must be countered by the force generated by the engine. These forces
can change based on elevation angle and vehicle speed, as well as road conditions, air density,
and air temperature. In general, we employ a Pulse and Glide system, where the driver will
accelerate up to about 30 miles per hour, then shut the engine off and coast for as long as
possible. Though it may seem counterintuitive to constantly turn the engine off and on, the

vehicle can move without power for long enough that constantly running the engine would be
wasteful. We allow Excel Solver to determine the best time and location to accelerate and glide
based on minimum and maximum speed and acceleration constraints. We are currently working
on a system that will input our GPS location through a mobile device, iterate through the
optimization problem on a home base computer, and return a new ideal strategy to the driver.
Though we dont expect to see 3000 MPG cars on the road, much of the work that we do
is applicable to production vehicles. Designs that take into account optimal weight and
advantageous aerodynamics will have a distinct edge in the coming years. Even now,
manufacturers are designing systems to promote optimal driving strategy with respect to traffic
lights [2][3]. Applications such as these are what push many of us to meet the challenges that we
face. With support from the University of Michigan and sponsors in the automotive industry, we
plan to continue pushing the limits of fuel efficiency.

Agney Deshpande is a sophomore studying Industrial and Operations Engineering at the

University of Michigan. He is the Public Relations Officer and incoming Race Strategy Officer
for UM Supermileage. Born and raised in Michigan, Agney is most excited about the immediate
relevance of Supermileage to the automotive industry. Agney is interested in supply chain and
efficiency improvement.
agney@umich.edu
Twitter: @umsupermileage
Facebook: University of Michigan Supermileage
Umsm.engin.umich.edu

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile_drag_coefficient
[2] http://www.gizmag.com/audi-connected-traffic-light-system/31159/
[3] http://www.gizmag.com/honda-driving-support-system-traffic/31494/