Coming Clean

The Clean Snowmobile Challenge (CSC) is a Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) student design competition. It was first held in 2000 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, near Yellowstone National Park. The purpose of the competition is for students to experience design by modifying an existing snowmobile to reduce the environmental impact in environmentally sensitive areas and on public trails while maintaining performance. The main methods for reducing environmental impact are to reduce noise and exhaust emissions from the snowmobiles and improve fuel economy. Students compete in several events that measure the performance of their snowmobiles, including a 100-mi (161-km) endurance and fuel economy run, SAE standardized sound testing, emissions measurement, and acceleration and handling events. Additional events are used to evaluate the "project management" skills of the team. These include an oral presentation, a technical paper, and determining the cost of the modified snowmobile.