June 8, 2009

June is usually the time when college students shift gears for the summer, but for some engineering students, June is the time to literally get everything in gear. The students involved in the EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge competition have spent this, their first year, designing a new and advanced architecture for a 2008 Saturn Vue to reduce petroleum use and increase fuel efficiency.

EcoCAR is a three-year competition that builds on the 20-year history of DOE advanced vehicle technology competitions by giving engineering students the chance to design and build advanced vehicles that demonstrate cutting-edge automotive technologies. This important partnership aims to inspire and support the next generation of scientists and engineers around the common goal of sustainable mobility. To prepare for the June 12 year-end EcoCAR Competition Finals, these students are preparing to dazzle GM and DOE officials with their designs – just as if they were designing the next car to roll off the production line.

As new automotive technology gets attention in the consumer market, it is also gaining political attention. President Obama recently announced $2.4 billion in funding as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to encourage the production of next-generation plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and advanced battery components for such vehicles. The Act also includes a $7,500 incentive for buyers of these vehicles. Many of the student teams are ahead of the electric curve, having already incorporated electric components into their vehicles.

Eight of the EcoCAR teams, including Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Mississippi State University, North Carolina State University, The Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Wisconsin, University of Victoria and Virginia Tech chose to design extended-range electric vehicles (EREV), which, like GM’s Chevy Volt, demonstrate full performance with an electric powertrain that can extend the range of the vehicle with its onboard fuel storage. The EcoCAR Challenge teams that selected an EREV as their architecture will use either B20 biodiesel or E85 ethanol to extend the range of their electric vehicles.
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