Rail and automotive markets are the targets of first USTAR ...

by bschott

Utah innovators are working on ways to make transportation more efficient and safer – for people and for the environment. Southern Utah University (SUU) and Dixie Applied Technology College (DATC) were awarded Technology Commercialization Grants in USTAR’s first round of regional awards, and the institutions will work with two southern Utah companies that are focused on the rail and automotive markets.

IDT – a company based in Cedar City that co-applied with SUU – hopes to streamline rail car maintenance. Subject to stresses, strains and vibrations, rail cars travel thousands of miles a year. Currently individual components of rail cars are tracked manually, leaving room for human error in the predictability of component life spans.

IDT’s technology is a tracking system to identify defective components on rail cars. The product, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system, makes repairs more predictable and inventory management more organized. SUU will use the grant proceeds to fund undergraduate work to further develop the technology.

Another co-applicant, H2O Performance LLC, is based in Washington, UT and partnered with DATC. Using fuel cell technology, H2O Performance created a device that generates hydrogen gas from pure distilled water. This approach offers improved engine efficiency and decreased pollutants. Preliminary estimates indicate conventional car and truck engines using H2O technology may see a 15 percent performance boost.

“The USTAR grant SUU received will have enormous impact, enabling us to move more quickly to market. This in turn should impact the job market and tax revenue of the state as our company grows,” said Jason Pitts, Managing Director of IDT. “In addition, partnering with SUU will allow IDT the advantage of auditioning the very best students so we might later hire them in our operation full time.”

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