EHA Engineer Josh Scarbrough Reflects on NFPA Vehicle Challenge Experience March 15, 2022June 25, 2020 by IFP While attending Murray State University in western Kentucky, Josh was a team member of the 2019 NFPA Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge (FPVC). Their Industry Mentor was Jim Kaas, President of Iowa Fluid Power. Josh is majoring in Electro-Mechanical (Automation) Engineering. Three months ago, Josh accepted a full-time position at Electro-Hydraulic Automation (EHA). In Cedar Rapids, IA. He will be going back to Murray State in mid-August for his last semester and will return in December to start full-time at EHA. Josh is getting an opportunity to use some of his knowledge and experience from the vehicle challenge in practical fluid power applications at EHA. Their vehicle challenge last year was to design and deploy a vehicle that can store energy in a hydraulic circuit, release that energy on demand, while also maintaining the ability to regenerate energy from momentum. Their design needed to be safe and have a high degree of manufacturability. Josh shared this reflection – “Without getting involved with the NFPA FPVC I would have never learned so much about the wide array of hydraulic applications nor would I have met Jim Kaas and Dean Ebberhardt, and without meeting these two I would have never learned about IFP. When I met Jim and saw how passionate he was about IFP, its people and the industry they represent I knew it was the direction I needed to steer myself. Josh added, “The bike was a passion project of mine from the moment I got involved. I wanted to build something that would do a better job at beating the competition that all previous teams at my school attempted. It was a blessing to get matched with Jim as a mentor because he was always pushing me to not remain in the typical build style. I am just as passionate about the entire program now as I was when I first got involved, except now I get to be involved from the other side. I have been given the opportunity to help with the program from the position of an engineering resource and supplier. Check it out in action – a great entry! Watch their vehicle reach rapid 0-50 mph acceleration using Fluid Power IFP has been a key player of the NFPA vehicle challenge program since its inception 5 years ago. Thanks Josh, Jim and everyone at IFP and EHA who help keep the motion control industry “moving”.
