An MTSU professor is Driving coast-to-coast on 10 gallons of gas or less. This special trip is being made by School of Agribusiness and Agriscience Professor Cliff Ricketts. The trip is being made in a specially equipped 2005 hydrogen/gas powered Toyota Prius, a 1994 Toyota Tercel and a 2007 Toyota Prius hybrid.
Ricketts, along with Terry Young, Mike Sims, Travis Owens, Brett Harris, Steve Foe, Hayley Box, Dawn Baker and Sonya D’Archangel left from Tybee Island, Georgia several days ago. The long-anticipated final destination is Long Beach, Calif., where they are expected to arrive late Thursday, March 8.
Trip details
Length of trip: 2,532 miles approximately
Trip start: Tybee Island, Ga.
Trip projected end: Long Beach, Calif.
Trip route: I-16 (Georgia), I-75 (GA/Tennessee), I-24 (Tennessee), I-40 (TN, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California); and CA-210 west, I-210 west, I-605 south, I-105 west and I-710 south (California)
Alternative-fuels vehicles in use: 2005 Toyota Prius hybrid, 1994 Toyota Tercel, 2007 Prius hybrid
Support team members on trip: Terry Young, hydrogen expert, Woodbury, Tenn., and Mike Sims, electrical expert, Jackson, Mich.; MTSU agriculture students Travis Owens of Woodbury, Brett Harris of Manchester, Tenn., and Steve Foe of Murfreesboro; agriculture student teachers Hayley Box of Murfreesboro and McEwen, Tenn., and Dawn Baker of Tipton, Ind.; and Austin Peay State University student Sonya D’Archangel of McEwen.
On YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/mtsunews and click on ”MTSU Alt Fuel Team Goes Coast to Coast on 10 Gallons of Gas”
Sponsors: Tractor Supply Co. (20-plus years); Farm Credit Services of Mid-America ($15,000 and $1,500 grants); MTSU Offices of the Provost and Research and the College of Basic and Applied Sciences.
Down the road (literally)
Day 3 (today) details
Depart from: Fort Smith, Ark., 7:30 a.m. CT
Destination: Santa Rosa, N.M. (7 p.m. estimated arrival time)
Approximate distance: 610 miles
Alternative-fuels vehicle in use: 2007 Toyota Prius
Fuel sources: E95 (5 percent ethanol/5 percent gas) and electric
Day 4 (March 7) details
Depart from: Santa Rosa, N.M., 7:30 a.m. CT
Destination: Kingman (7 p.m. MT estimated arrival time)
Approximate distance: 511 miles
Alternative-fuels vehicle in use: 2007 Toyota Prius
Fuel sources: E95 (5 percent ethanol/5 percent gas) and electric
Day 5 (March 8) details
Depart from: Kingman, Ariz., 7 a.m. MT
Destination: Long Beach, Calif. (3 p.m. PT estimated arrival time)
Approximate distance: 342 miles
Alternative-fuels vehicle in use: 2007 Toyota Prius
Fuel sources: E95 (5 percent ethanol/5 percent gas) and electric
In the rear-view mirror
Day 1 details
Depart from: Tybee Island, Ga., 8 a.m. ET
Destination: Murfreesboro (7:09 p.m. CT arrival)
Approximate distance: 521 miles
Alternative-fuels vehicle in use: 2005 Toyota Prius hybrid, 1994 Toyota Tercel
Fuel sources: Solar (sun) and hydrogen from water
Amount of gas used: 0 gallons
Day 2 details
Depart from: Murfreesboro, 8 a.m. CT
Destination: Fort Smith, Ark. (8 p.m. CT arrival)
Approximate distance: 521 miles
Alternative-fuels vehicle in use: 2005 Toyota Prius hybrid, 1994 Toyota Tercel and 2007 Toyota Prius hybrid
Fuel sources: Solar (sun) and hydrogen from water
Amount of gas used: 0.125 gallons
Note: In the 900 miles driven from Tybee Island, Ga., to Conway, Ark., 0 gallons of gas was used
(All times approximate)
(Source: Dr. Cliff Ricketts, MTSU professor and alternative-fuels researcher)
