With hybrid and other fuel-efficient, low-emissions vehicles entering the marketplace, one might be tempted to think that we are almost there in terms of achieving energy independence and protecting the environment from hazardous exhaust emissions.
Think again, says Chris Atkinson, the new director of West Virginia University’s Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines, and Emissions, where the focus is on heavy-duty vehicles such as trucks and buses, but also includes locomotives and ships. Atkinson rejoined the WVU faculty in August as a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources and CAFEE director.
Although he is originally from South Africa and a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Atkinson is no stranger to West Virginia. He earned his master’s degree in mechanical engineering at WVU before going on to MIT for doctoral studies. After completing his doctorate, he served on WVU’s mechanical engineering faculty from 1991 to 2000.
This fall, after nearly a decade in the private sector, Atkinson returned to WVU to take on this new role because, he said, he was ready to return to an academic research setting.
“This is an exciting and challenging time in the energy and automotive arenas, and I look forward to making a strong contribution to research and to the education of the next generation of engineers and leaders.”
“Heavy-duty vehicles lag behind their lighter-duty counterparts in terms of fuel efficiency and reduced exhaust emissions,” said Atkinson, “but CAFEE’s expertise and leadership in this area is helping to achieve progress.”
Founded in 1989, CAFEE is one of WVU’s academic heavy hitters, conducting approximately $5 million per year in research in engines, emissions and alternative fuels. CAFEE receives funding from the U.S. Departments of Energy and Transportation, and from companies, states and municipalities around the nation. Engine, vehicle and fuel manufacturers use the data and research conducted to develop and improve existing products, while state and federal regulatory agencies also use the research findings to fine tune emissions standards and regulations.
“In the 20 years CAFEE has been in existence, we have conducted emissions testing on countless buses and heavy-duty trucks, as well as a number of locomotives, and ships,” said Atkinson. “Our experience covers conventional engines and new technologies including hybrid electric buses and trucks, fuel-cell buses, plug-in hybrid vehicles, natural gas and biodiesel-fueled vehicles and many others.”
CAFEE has some of the nation’s most extensive experience in measuring exhaust emissions from conventionally and alternatively-fueled, heavy-duty vehicles, said Atkinson. One thing the center offers that is unique is the ability to travel throughout North America to conduct emissions testing.
This mobility comes from the Center’s three Transportable Vehicle Emissions Testing Laboratories, including a low-emissions measurement laboratory that is brand new this fall. Center researchers and technical staff use the transportable labs to conduct real-world emissions testing on fleet vehicles near their home base.
Although emissions testing continues to be an important part of CAFEE’s work, Atkinson sees achieving improvements in fuel efficiency for both light- and heavy-duty vehicles as the next big push.
“We must maintain CAFEE’s strong research program in engines, fuels and emissions, while noting that, for the next frontier in automotive technologies, it is the imperative to dramatically improve fuel efficiency,” he said.
“The current turmoil in the automotive industry is also an opportunity for growth and innovation. The goal of energy independence will drive the development of new alternative fuels, such as coal-to-liquids and biofuels, and new automotive energy sources, including electric and hybrid vehicles. Our goal is to further expand our research in these areas and to help lead our automotive industries into the future.”
Other WVU faculty involved with CAFEE include former directors Nigel Clark, Donald Lyons, and Mridul Gautam and faculty members Gregory Thompson, Scott Wayne, Hailin Li, Ben Shade, Drew Nix and John Nuszkowski. The Center relies on a number of technical and engineering staff and a large number of graduate students to help conduct research at several facilities on campus and off.
—WVU-
9/23/09
WVU News on the Web – http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/
CONTACT: Susan Case
College Relations Director
College of Engineering & Mineral Resources
(304) 293-4821×2213
Susan.Case@mail.wvu.edu