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You can't map the field in advance, because according to the rules, you only get the course 4 hours before the start of the competition.
I don't know what SUV you're talking about, but my 03' Honda Accord gets about 25 mph City, 29mph highway. And Honda makes some of the most fuel efficient cars out there.
I wouldn't depend solely on GPS. First of all, the update on GPS is fairly slow - a *good* GPS unit can do about one update every second, given clear line of sight to the satellites. The course will contain various obstacles such as underpasses, trees, gulleys, etc - no problem for a commercial pickup truck, but you will loose GPS tracking signal in a hurry. DGPS might not be an option either, there are probably offroad sections where you won't be able to get a differential signal to correct your GPS.
The vehicle will also have to watch for other hazzards on the road - including but not limited to other vehicles. Considering how hard it is just to make a robot U-Turn and go up a ramp...
Good luck, guys!
-=- Terence
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Terence Tak-Shing Tam <ttstam@u.washington.edu>
Engineering Team Captain, SWAT Robotics
http://www.swatrobotics.org
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