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UND Fuel-Cell Racers Take on New Teammate, Problem Radiator and Texas Drivers

Posted on: Tuesday, 19 July 2005, 21:00 CDT

Jul. 19--UND's hydrogen fuel-cell car, SubZeroIV H2, is getting a little help from a traditional foe after the first leg of the North American Solar Challenge race from Texas to Canada.

UND and North Dakota State University in Fargo long have competed against each other on the sports field and on the racetrack in alternative energy races around the country, but, this year, the NDSU car is on blocks, and one of its member has defected to the UND side.

"They couldn't race this year due to a damaged motor sustained in shipping," said Scott Tolbert, UND's team advisor.

The NDSU immigrant is Joe Knutson, a mechanical engineering student. Tolbert said Knutson fits in well with the UND team as both sides have temporarily put the rivalry aside.

Tolbert said the UND team successfully completed the first leg of the race from Austin to Weatherford, Texas, just west of Dallas.

"The first day is commonly known as the 'shakedown run' because it's a short leg of about 200 miles where teams work out the bugs in their cars as they race," Tolbert said.

UND had its share of kinks to fix, including a fuel cell that kept overheating as a result of inadequate air flow through the radiator. Larger holes and ducts were used to correct the problem.

"This was nothing a little sawing and duct tape couldn't fix," said UND team member Andrew Hexum.

UND's hydrogen fuel-cell model is racing as an exhibition against a field made up entirely of solar-powered vehicles. Because of its exhibition class, the UND car's finishing times and rankings aren't being kept by race organizers. The entire race is about 1,600 miles long.

Also in the Lone Star State, UND's team is learning not to mess with Texas drivers.

"These people are nuts. They pass on the shoulder, pass with oncoming traffic forcing the oncoming cars off the road, and drive right next to us on two-lane roads with no regard for what's ahead of them," said UND team president Josh Howland.

The UND team and the others in the competition will pass through Grand Forks, on a leg from Fargo to Winnipeg, some time toward the end of the week. The cars will enter Grand Forks from the south on U.S. Highway 81 onto Washington Street.

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Copyright (c) 2005, Grand Forks Herald, N.D.

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Source: Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.)

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