Iowa State and Cleveland State Win Big at Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge

Iowa State University and Cleveland State University won top prizes at the National Fluid Power Association’s Vehicle Challenge events held in April.

This year’s program held two separate Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge competitions in an effort to reach more students and industry members. An event sponsored by Danfoss Power Solutions took place April 20-22 in Ames, Iowa, while one sponsored by Norgren happened April 27-29 in Littleton, Colorado.

Iowa State University was Overall Champion at the Ames event. Murray State University took second place, and University of Cincinnati came in third.

At the event in Littleton, Cleveland State University was Overall Champion, while second place went to the University of Akron, and Arizona State University came in third.

NFPA said nearly 250 university and industry participants took part in the eight-month competition that combines the technology platforms of human-powered vehicles and fluid power. Teams design and build their own fluid power vehicles and then competing in three races. During the final events, students give presentations on vehicle construction, testing, and lessons they’ve learned. Each team also meets individually with judges who assess vehicle design. They are also helped along the way by NFPA industry sponsors and mentors.

This year’s designs highlighted the use of pneumatics and electronics in addition to the traditional hydraulic systems. The prize for Best Use of Pneumatics, sponsored by Norgren, was taken home by Murray State University and California Polytechnic State University. The prize for Innovative Use of Electronics, sponsored by IFP Motion Solutions, was taken home by the University of Cincinnati and Purdue University.

For more information, email sscaccianoce@nfpa.com or visit

https://nfpafoundation.org/universities/programs-resources/fluid-power-vehicle-challenge/.