Published: July 05, 2008 04:02 pm         

Rose among 17 selected to participate in EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge

TERRE HAUTE — Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is among 17 teams selected to participate in EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge, a collegiate vehicle engineering competition set to begin in this fall.

The U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors and Natural Resources Canada recently announced the teams. EcoCAR will challenge university engineering students across North America to re-engineer a Saturn VUE to achieve improved fuel economy and reduced greenhouse gas emissions while retaining the vehicle’s performance and consumer appeal.

Students will design and build advanced propulsion solutions that are based on the vehicle categories from the California Air Resources Board zero-emissions vehicle regulations. They will be encouraged to explore a variety of cutting-edge clean-vehicle solutions, including full-function electric, range-extended electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell technologies. In addition, they will incorporate lightweight materials into the vehicles, improve aerodynamics and use alternative fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel and hydrogen.

During the three-year program, General Motors will provide production vehicles, vehicle components, seed money, technical mentoring and operational support. The U.S. Department of Energy and its research and development facility, Argonne National Laboratory, will provide competition management, team evaluation and technical and logistical support. Through sponsoring such advanced vehicle engineering competitions, GM and the Department of Energy are developing the next generation of scientists and engineers.

“We’re excited to see what these student engineers will develop over the next three years,” said Beth Lowery, General Motors vice president, Environment, Energy and Safety Policy. “The objectives of EcoCAR are right in line with GM’s strategy.”

More information about EcoCAR is available on the Web at www.ecoCAR

challenge.org.