A student-built car with the low emissions of an electric vehicle but with the power and range provided by gasoline took top honors recently at an international contest held in Detroit, Mich. Perhaps the most successful hybrid car ever designed by college students, the UC Davis "AfterShock" is equipped with both an electric motor and gasoline engine. Despite demonstrating the best hybrid range and acceleration rates in the country this year, the vehicle met and exceeded emissions standards set by the California Air Resources Board. AfterShock can run nearly 1,000 miles before refueling or recharging and has achieved more than 80 miles per gallon at highway speeds, according to Andy Frank, a UC Davis professor of mechanical engineering and faculty adviser to the student project. Frank is convinced that the hybrid design is the way to meet low-emission vehicle mandates for the immediate future because, he says, battery technology does not yet produce enough energy or power to make electric cars practical for most California drivers.