The normal-looking blue Ford Escort decorated with decals is the product of a team of 12 students. Their goal: To cruise across the finish line on May 29 at Lake George, N.Y., in their hybrid electric vehicle before the pack of 40 competitors. The race begins on May 24. Last year, the team finished eighth in the competition sponsored by the NESEA, a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable energy options.

Since 1992, the Electric Lion has been a working experiment for the Penn State Society of Automotive Engineers to study alternate ways to reduce emissions and make cars more efficient. Its first competition was in 1993. Currently the Electric Lion runs on propane -- a fuel commonly found in gas grills and available at local hardware stores.

"It's very similar in technology to a diesel electric locomotive or a diesel electric submarine," said Joel Anstrom, graduate coordinator for the project. "It allows you to double the fuel economy of an average car and substantially reduce the emissions."

The Electric Lion can run for about 40 miles on pure electric power operated by two personal computers in the glove compartment, Anstrom said. On hybrid power, it can run for about 410 miles. The car's system operates like the thermostat in a house, he explained. The engine shuts off when the automobile lingers at stop signs and kicks on when needed.

"It doesn't matter how slow you drive or how fast you drive, the engine always operates at optimum speed," said Chao-Yang Wang, assistant professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering and co-adviser of the project. The engineering department is the main source of funding, but private sponsors include General Motors and Chrysler, among others. The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute provides the garage.

Anstrom added extreme power would be used while traveling up hills at 55 mph, but otherwise the engine operates at about 10 percent capacity. Fuel costs about $1.50 to $2 per gallon, Anstrom said.

Hybrids or vehicles operated by high-power batteries may be a solution to a potential fuel crisis that could occur in the United States in anywhere from 10 to 20 years, Anstrom said.

"The actual crisis will occur not when we will run out of oil, but when supply begins to fall," he said.

The concept of a hybrid has been around for about a century, said Don Streit, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Vehicle Systems and Safety Program. Streit is also a co-adviser of the project.

Hybrid electric buses service some areas in the county, Streit said. They are expensive but emit less pollution, he added.

The electronic revolution may be the jump-start for the hybrid. "Electric vehicles are very quiet," he said. "There are advantages that bring this technology into the community. Once the volume goes up, then the cost goes down."