Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge Expands to Three Competitions

Excitement in the NFPA Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge (FPVC) program continues to build. Thanks to the generosity of Pascal Society donors, we are proud to announce that the Vehicle Challenge will expand to three final competition locations in the 2024-25 school year with as many as 27 university teams participating. The Vehicle Challenge program is an exceptional opportunity for NFPA members to meet and engage with the future engineering workforce.

The Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge program would not be possible without the support of the companies that serve as event hosts, program sponsors and product suppliers.

Event Hosts
Danfoss Power Solutions
IFP Motion Solutions Inc.
IMI plc

Program Sponsors
Applied Fluid Power
IFP Motion Solutions Inc.
IMI plc
SunSource

Founding Sponsor
Parker Hannifin Corporation

Product Suppliers
Brennan Industries
Danfoss Power Solutions
HYDAC
Helios Technologies
Lubrizol
Source Fluid Power

The Vehicle Challenge is an undergraduate program that requires engineering students to redesign a traditional bicycle using hydraulics as power transmission as a senior capstone design project or as an extracurricular activity. Students experience real-world engineering under strict deadlines for designing, building, testing, and demonstrating their designs. NFPA members serve as mentors and judges to guide the students in their learning. Through the program, students learn about fluid power, the benefits of regenerative braking, build a network of peers and industry professionals from all over the country and compete for cash prizes in three separate races – sprint, efficiency, and endurance.

One of the keys to the success of the FPVC is the support from industry members who serve as mentors, judges, and technical liaisons. With the expansion of the program to three sites, we are adding two new technical liaisons, with decades of experience in the fluid power industry, to assist the teams. Steve Gluck and Randy Nobles will be joining Ernie Parker in the role of technical liaison.

Ernie Parker taught at Hennepin Community College and has over 45 years of experience in the fluid power industry. In 2019 he was recognized by the International Fluid Power Society and inducted into the inaugural class of the IFPS Hall of Fame for his achievements and contributions to the industry.

During his 45 years in the Fluid Power Industry, Steve Gluck has worked on a myriad of mobile hydraulic propel applications and industrial open and closed circuit systems.

After earning a BS in Agricultural Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, he joined the Hydraulics Design team at International Harvester. That was followed by 24 years at Sundstrand/Sauer/Danfoss as an Application Engineer and Technical Support Team leader. He finished his industrial career managing the Product Support Team at Parker-Hannifin’s Hydraulic Pump and Power Systems division. He recently taught Fluid Power classes at Marion Technical College and for CFC Industrial Training.

Randy Nobles has spent most of his career working for a fluid power distributor, Womack Machine Supply Company. Over a 43-year career, he served in several roles, including sales, sales management, and technical support. Following retirement from full time employment, he continues to assist Womack. His current services include delivering training in basic hydraulics for their customers as well as providing design review for specific projects.

Randy has also invested his time during his career in college student engagement. This includes providing career advice and guest lectures centering on the fluid power industry. He has also served on two separate university industrial advisory boards over a 20+ year period.

Starting with 9 teams at one location in 2017, the Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge continues to provide valuable hands-on fluid power instruction in a competitive setting. Contact Mary Pluta at mpluta@nfpa.com for more information on how you can get involved.