Monday, January 19, 2015

TRC Inc. Featured in Car and Driver Magazine


 
Transportation Research Center Inc. was featured in the February 2015 edition of Car and Driver magazine in an article titled, “Proving 200.”  The article refers to Erich Heuschele, the SRT vehicle dynamics engineering manager who brought a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to Transportation Research Center (the Center) and reached speeds of 204 mph in a two-way average on the Center’s 7.5-Mile Test Track.
The reason Heuschele, who is a champion amateur road racer, visited the Center was the fact that he did not want to rely on modern computer design tools to predict the vehicle’s top speed – he wanted to conduct the testing himself. With a bolt-in roll bar, a racing harness, and a fire extinguisher, Heuschele drove on the Center’s 7.5-mile banked oval test track for over 10 miles to reach 204 mph.
For more information about the Center’s 7.5-Mile Test Track visit our website at:  http://www.trcpg.com/facility-tour/75-mile-test-track.aspx or if you would like to check out the article in Car and Driver magazine, visit their website at:  http://www.caranddriver.com/.

January 2015 Tracks Newsletter


The January 2015 Tracks Newsletter is now available for download at: http://www.trcpg.com/other-pages/newsletter-archives.aspx.

To sign up for our newsletter visit:
http://www.trcpg.com/contact-us.aspx.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Sprague Announced as Interim President



On June 27, 2014, Transportation Research Center Inc. announced the appointment of Jeffrey A. Sprague as Interim President.  Sprague will succeed Rick D. Gildow who, in October 2013, announced his intention to retire on June 30, 2014, after 22 years as President.
 
Sprague stated, “While the presidential search carries on, TRC Inc. will not sit at a standstill. Our responsibility and vision is to be the global leader in mobility development, research, and testing solutions. There is a need to review, improve, and expand our service offerings and to strengthen our relationships with our customers and The Ohio State University. We will accomplish this through an examination of our operations and our customer needs while continuing to provide high-quality, error-free technical services, in a timely fashion.”
 
His previous role was Vice President of Contract Service, Human Resources, and Marketing.  Sprague has been with TRC Inc. for 19 years in various positions.  He has a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Marketing from Ohio Northern University and an MBA from the University of Dayton.  He has been an active participant in Society for Automotive Engineers as a moderator for sessions and a judge at student competitions, the Automotive News PACE™ Awards, and the U.S. DOE’s EcoCAR competition, among other industry and community groups.
 
Transportation Research Center (the Center) is an independent automotive proving ground located on approximately 4,500 acres of land in East Liberty, Ohio, approximately 40 miles northwest of Columbus. TRC Inc. conducts programs designed to test for safety, energy, fuel economy, emissions, durability, noise, crash, crash simulation and performance. We test trucks, buses, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, electric vehicles, passenger cars and components.

July 2014 Tracks Newsletter


The July 2014 Tracks Newsletter is now available for download at: http://www.trcpg.com/other-pages/newsletter-archives.aspx.

To sign up for our newsletter visit:
http://www.trcpg.com/contact-us.aspx.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

TRC Inc. Will Sponsor EcoCAR 3

 
Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC Inc.) is excited to announce that we will be sponsoring the next EcoCAR competition – EcoCAR 3. After sponsoring the EcoCAR 2 competition and hosting a portion of the emissions testing event, TRC Inc. was thrilled to have the opportunity to be involved in EcoCAR again.
EcoCAR 3 is the latest U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) series and is North America’s premier collegiate automotive engineering competition. The U.S. DOE and General Motors are challenging 16 North American universities to redesign a Chevrolet Camaro into a hybrid-electric car that will reduce environmental impact, while maintaining the muscle and performance expected from this iconic American car. While the model is the most technologically advanced Camaro in the vehicle’s history, EcoCAR 3 teams will be tasked to incorporate innovative ideas, solve complex engineering challenges, and apply the latest cutting-edge technologies. Teams have four years (2014-2018), to harness those ideas into energy to meet engineering, environmental and economic goals. The Camaro will keep its iconic body design, while student teams develop and implement eco-power and performance under the hood, retain safety and meet high consumer standards. The teams also will focus on developing technology that will lower emissions by incorporating alternative fuels.
The 16 competing universities for this series include:  Arizona State University, California State University – Los Angeles, Colorado State University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Georgia Institute of Technology, McMaster University, Mississippi State University, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, University of Alabama, University of Washington, University of Waterloo, Virginia Tech, Wayne State University, and West Virginia University.
Argonne National Laboratory, a U.S. DOE research and development facility, will retain the management and operational responsibilities of the AVTC series, and the series will be co-headline sponsored by General Motors. Additional sponsors include:  Transportation Research Center Inc., MathWorks, California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board, Freescale, Clean Cities, AVL, Bosch, ETAS, dSPACE, Snap-on, GKN, EnerDel, Proterra, Ricardo, EM Powering, and A123 Systems.
This competition will build upon the 25-year history of the U.S. DOE AVTC series and seeks to develop the next generation of automotive engineers with unparalleled experience designing, promoting, and building leading-edge automotive technologies. TRC Inc. is excited to be part of this prestigious competition and we look forward to working with all of the organizations and universities over the next four years.
For more information about the EcoCAR 3 competition, visit:  http://www.ecocar3.org/.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Thursday, March 20, 2014

EcoCAR 2 Emissions Testing Event at TRC


 
 
The Emissions Testing Event for 12 EcoCAR 2 teams took place at the Transportation Research Center (TRC) in East Liberty, Ohio. The event offers teams eight hours of emissions and fuel economy testing in a controlled laboratory environment.... The teams will effectively be given a state-of-the art, open test bed to calibrate control strategies and shake down their vehicles before final competition in June.

Acting as a kind of 'treadmill for cars,' a chassis dynamometer offers the ability to virtually drive a vehicle under a multitude of different scenarios or 'drive cycles,' such as urban driving, highway driving and aggressive driving.