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Matt Holthausen could have made things easy on himself during the last semester of his senior year.

But that's not the way it's going to be.

Holthausen, 18, will graduate from Steamboat Springs High School in May and intends to study mechanical engineering at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Faced with completing a senior project, Holthausen set an ambitious task for himself. This month, he hoisted the engine out of a slightly battered 1994 Ford Ranger. He plans to convert the pickup to a hybrid-electric vehicle, or HEV. He's particularly interested in demonstrating that an HEV can be effective in a four-wheel-drive utility configuration.

"I asked myself, 'Can I do this?' and, 'Wouldn't it be great if I did?'" Holthausen said. "I like to think of myself as a pretty environmentally concerned person."

With the price of regular unleaded gasoline more than $2 a gallon this week, his timing seems impeccable.

Matthew grew up in his father Charlie's automotive repair shop -- Black Diamond Automotive.

"I pretty much understand how things are put together," Holthausen said modestly.

He said the biggest challenge the project poses for him is learning to extend himself and promote the senior project in order to raise the necessary funds.

He has some pretty good allies in that regard: high school career coordinator Kim Mayer and community mentor Towny Anderson.

Anderson isn't so much mechanically inclined, Hol--th--ausen said, "but he's experienced at fund raising and community outreach. Plus, he owns a Honda Civic hybrid."

Anderson's Honda HEV and its Toyota counterpart differ significantly from Holthausen's planned conversion of the Ranger.

The Honda and the Toyota essentially are powered by combustion engines that receive a boost from their electrical motors, Holthausen said.

Conversely, his project will use a one- or two-cylinder combustion engine to assist the primary electric motor. The ideal engine for Holthausen would be one stripped off a new utility-size generator. In the Ranger, it would run at a constant speed and feed into a generator that would channel current into a series of lead acid batteries, which, in turn, would power the motor.

The batteries will be able to be charged by plugging the car into an electrical outlet overnight.

Because the motor would run at a constant speed, with no acceleration or deceleration, it would operate more efficiently. And it wouldn't have to be running all the time.

"For short-range requirements, my vehicle will be able to run on electric power alone," Holthausen said. "It's a definite advantage for a utilitarian truck, which is often used around town. Operating solely on electric power is much more cost effective than always having to fuel an internal combustion engine."

Holthausen isn't under a hard deadline to complete his project before graduation -- he just needs to show substantial progress. But he's committed to displaying the prototype HEV Ranger around town this summer. Then, when he's off to college, he'll leave it behind -- freshmen aren't allowed to have vehicles on campus at CSU. Not even HEVs.

-- To reach Tom Ross call 871-4205

or e-mail tross@steamboatpilot.com