The 2026 Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge Final Competition hosted by Sun Hydraulics took place April 8-10 in Sarasota, Florida, bringing together university teams from across the country. This dynamic event, part of the NFPA Foundation’s workforce development initiatives, challenges students to design and build a human-powered vehicle using fluid power systems.
Twelve schools competed in three races last week judged by fluid power industry professionals. In addition to the races, teams demonstrated their regenerative braking capabilities and gave presentations on vehicle construction, testing, and lessons learned. Each team also met individually with the industry judges to assess their vehicle design.
Now in its 10th year, the Vehicle Challenge is a competition that combines two technology platforms that are not normally associated with one another—human-powered vehicles and fluid power. Teams are tasked with designing and building their own fluid power vehicles over the course of a school year. The program culminates in final competitions at three separate locations.
The Grand Champions of the Sun Hydraulics-hosted event are:
Click here for the full list of exemplary performance awards earned at the Sun Hydraulics competition.
Specific awards are given to highlight the use of pneumatics and electronics in the teams’ designs. The prize for Best Use of Pneumatics, sponsored by IMI, was taken home by the University of Utah. The prize for Best Use of Electronics, sponsored by IFP Motion Solutions Inc., was awarded to the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Thank you to the NFPA Foundation donors who support this program:
Event Host
Program Sponsors
Founding Sponsor
Product Suppliers
We would also like to thank the industry representatives who served as judges during the Midway Reviews and Final Competition, served as mentors to guide students throughout the program year, and met with the students during the Fall Networking Mixer to talk about career opportunities at their companies.
Representatives from the following companies participated:
For further information on the Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge, contact Mary Pluta, Workforce Program Manager at mpluta@nfpa.com.