Skip to main content
Clarkson University Logo
  • Visit
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Give
  • Alumni
  • Parents
  • Intranet
  • About
    • President's Page
    • Board of Trustees
    • Administration
    • History & Facts
    • Accreditation
    • Accolades
    • The Clarkson Brand
    • Maps & Directions
  • Academics
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Graduate Programs
    • Continuing & Professional Education
    • School of Arts & Sciences
    • Lewis School of Health Sciences
    • Reh School of Business
    • Coulter School of Engineering
    • Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries
    • Institute for a Sustainable Environment
    • Institute for STEM Education
    • Academic Affairs
    • Student Achievement Services
    • Academic Calendar
  • Admissions
    • First-Year Admissions, Undergraduate
    • Transfer Admissions, Undergraduate
    • International Admissions, Undergraduate
    • Early College Program: The Clarkson School
    • Graduate School Admissions
    • Financial Aid
    • Apply Now
  • Campus Life
    • Office of Student Life
    • Student Clubs & Activities
    • Living on Campus
    • Campus Dining
    • Clarkson Ignite
    • Career & International Experiences
    • Explore the Region
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
    • Student Health & Counseling
    • ROTC
    • Office of the Dean of Students
  • Research
  • Athletics
  • News
  • Search

CU • News & Events

Clarkson SPEED Team Takes First at SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge

Release Date
Thursday March 19, 2020
Clean Snowmobile
Clarkson's SAE Clean Snowmobile team finishes first in the Diesel Utility Class at the 2020 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge.

The Clarkson SAE Clean Snowmobile Team returned from Michigan Technological University earlier in March touting a first-place finish in the Diesel Utility Class at the 2020 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge.  

This Clarkson SPEED Team (Student Projects for Engineering Experience and Design), consisting of 25 students from several different majors, started this project last summer with an aggressive plan for a total redesign from their previous two-year project.  With a little help from Polaris Industries, the team received a 2018 Polaris Titan Adventure chassis in August to start the modifications.  

The redesign also involved choosing a new diesel engine and with philanthropic help from Clarkson alumnus Terry Smith ‘94 and his contacts at Milton CAT, the Caterpillar C1.1 liter 3-cylinder, 4-stroke diesel was purchased in early September. The Chassis was then transported to Montreal and the engine bay 3D scanned by Creaform3D to allow SolidWorks modeling of the engine bay. 

In addition to the engineering challenge of fitting an industrial engine in a production snowmobile, getting the low revving diesel to move with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) was a major challenge. Team Industries aided in supplying clutching components and advice for this task. Once moving, the goal of a “clean” diesel began.

The team designed and fabricated a custom Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) and Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) to reduce emissions, which proved to be highly effective as the team achieved the lowest emissions score of any diesel ever tested at the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge.

At the weeklong competition in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the team placed first in the Endurance event, averaging 33 MPG, 7 MPG better than the second-place team. The team placed second in the Draw Bar pull, first in Lab Emissions, first in In-Service Emissions, and first in Engineering Design Paper and Presentation (a first for any Clarkson student team at an SAE event).

The 11 students that were chosen to represent Clarkson at the CSC were; Shawn Schneider (Co-Team Leader), Aidan Stair (Co-Team Leader), Ryan Phillips, Peter Connolly, Nick Kochersperger, Gregory Melone, Stefan Pilo, Ted Coughlin, Daniel Lynch, Alex Rodriguez, and Mike Lucyk

Additional team sponsors include; 139 Designs, AB Tools, Air Temp Heating and Air Conditioning, Bell Intercooler, Biteharder, BorgWarner, Briggs and Stratton, Camso, Cintas, Clarke Powered Solutions, Conn Wood Escape, Curve Industries, Faurecia, FlowMax DPF, Hygear Suspension, Ingles Performance, Klim Technical Riding Gear, Land and Sea (DYNOmite), Lord, Lucyk Contracting, Mastercam, Milton CAT, Monster Tool Company, New York State Snowmobile Association, PCB Piezotronics, Polaris Industries, R.B. Smith SPEED Endowment, Raymond Corporation, Snap-On Tools, Sled USA, SOLIDWORKS, Stanley Black and Decker, TEAM Industries and Woody’s Traction Products.


 

As a private, national research university, Clarkson is a leader in technological education and sustainable economic development through teaching, scholarship, research and innovation. We ignite personal connections across academic fields and industries to create the entrepreneurial mindset, knowledge and intellectual curiosity needed to innovate world-relevant solutions and cultivate the leaders of tomorrow. With its main campus located in Potsdam, N.Y., and additional graduate program and research facilities in the New York Capital Region, Beacon, N.Y., and New York City, Clarkson educates 4,600+ students across 95 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, the arts, education, sciences and health professions. Our alumni earn salaries that are among the top 2.5% in the nation and realize accelerated career growth. One in five already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company. To learn more about Clarkson University, go to www.clarkson.edu.


Photograph for media use is available at:
/sites/default/files/media/image/2020-03/clean-snowmobile.png

Photograph Size:
Width: 2500px
Height: 1667px

News directors and editors: For more information, contact Melissa Lindell, Director of Media Relations, at 315-268-6716 or mlindell@clarkson.edu.

Schools at Clarkson

  • Graduate School
  • School of Arts & Sciences
  • David D. Reh School of Business
  • Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering
  • Earl R. and Barbara D. Lewis School of Health Sciences
  • Institute for a Sustainable Environment
  • Early College Program: The Clarkson School
  • Institute for STEM Education
  • Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries

Highlights of Excellence

  • Career Center
  • Honors Program
  • ROTC
  • Student Projects for Engineering Experience and Design (SPEED)
  • Student Success Center
  • Writing Center

Research & Innovation

  • Clarkson Center for Complex Systems Science (C3S2)
  • The Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP)
  • Center for Air and Aquatic Resources Engineering & Science (CAARES)
  • Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR)
  • The Center for Rehabilitation Engineering, Science & Technology (CREST)
  • NYS Center of Excellence in Healthy Water Solutions
  • The Shipley Center for Innovation
  • Clarkson Ignite
  • University Libraries

Clarkson University

8 Clarkson Ave., Potsdam, New York 13699 315-268-6400
80 Nott Terrace, Schenectady, NY 12308 518-631-9831
199 Dennings Ave., Beacon, New York 12508 845-838-1600
Take a Virtual Tour

Organizational Chart
© 2023 by Clarkson University | Web Accessibility Assistance

  • Human Resources • Giving • Bookstore
  • CARES Act Reports & Consumer Information Disclosures (HEOA)
  • Act on Legal & Moral Concerns