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EcoCAR2 Team Presenting ‘Revenge of the Electric Car’ on Sunday
February 9, 2012
The rising popularity of electric vehicles and their impact on
the world eco-system, over the objectives of major car
manufacturers, is the focus of a special documentary "Revenge of
the Electric Car" being presented Sunday, February 12, at 3 p.m. in
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's Hatfield Hall Theater.
This is a free event and the public is encouraged to view this
film.
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Advancing Transportation: Rose-Hulman Institute of
Technology has established a leadership role in setting the course
for advanced transportation technology and efficient fuel
initiatives through its involvement in the EcoCAR advanced vehicle
development program, organized by the U.S. Department of
Energy.
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This special presentation has been arranged by Rose-Hulman's
EcoCAR2 Team as an outreach activity to showcase the viability of
electric vehicles. The team will also have its 2011 biodiesel
vehicle on display, and members and faculty advisors will be
available to talk with guests about how electric vehicles work and
their environmental impact. Activities will begin at 2 p.m.
in the lobby of Hatfield Hall.
"Revenge of the Electric Car" is a 2011 documentary directed by
Chris Paine and narrated by Tim Robbins. It also showcases
actor Danny DeVito, an early advocate for electric vehicles.
He was very unhappy to lose his electric car in the mid-2006 when
major car manufacturers stopped producing and servicing electric
vehicles.
The documentary also delves into the history of the electric
car, particularly General Motors' EV-1 (the car DeVito loved), and
its sudden demise. The documentary then explores the
resurgence of this green machine through the efforts of Tesla's
electric roadster and Nissan's Leaf vehicle. Now, General
Motors has had renewed interest in producing an electric car with
the Volt.
A sequel to the popular "Who Killed The Electric Car?", "Revenge
of the Electric Car" is also a portrait of entrepreneurs and a
lesson in business practices. It looks at the U.S. economic
crisis and the impact it had on the redevelopment of the electric
car, and it examines the roles of four men instrumental in reviving
it: Bob Lutz (GM), Carlos Ghosn (Nissan), Elon Musk (Tesla) and
Greg "Gadget" Abbott (independent converter).
Rose-Hulman has established a leadership role in setting the
course for advanced transportation technology and efficient fuel
initiatives through its involvement in the EcoCAR advanced vehicle
development program, organized by the U.S. Department of
Energy. The college is one of 16 North American colleges and
universities participating in EcoCAR2: Plugging into the Future, a
competition striving to help prepare future engineers for
opportunities in clean energy and advanced vehicle
industries.
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| Testing Things Out: EcoCAR team member Jon Nibbert and
co-faculty advisor Marc Herniter test the performance
characteristics of the biodiesel vehicle that was developed by
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology students after following a
real-world engineering regimen modeled after GM's Global Vehicle
Development Process. |
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EcoCAR2 is a unique, three-year educational partnership between
GM and DOE. Rose-Hulman students have started to explore a
variety of powertrain architectures and follow a real-world
engineering regimen modeled after GM's Global Vehicle Development
Process. The team will utilize a Chevrolet Malibu, donated by
GM, as the integration platform for their advanced vehicle
design. The vehicle will be tested for its reduction on the
environmental impact without compromising performance, safety and
consumer acceptability.
The EcoCAR project is part of Rose-Hulman's advanced
transportation program, which has several partners with
industry. Other student projects in the program include the
Efficient Vehicles Team, Human Powered Vehicle Team, Gran Prix
Engineering Team, Team Rose Motorsports and Design-Build-Fly
aeronautics team.
EcoCar2's combination of cutting-edge engineering practices,
hands-on experience, exposure to world-class organizations and
knowledge sharing in a competitive and team-oriented environment
gives participating students a head start toward future job
success. Participants will make contributions that will help
keep the North American automotive industry competitive in the
global market place, which is increasing adopting fuel efficient
designs.
Learn more about Rose-Hulman's EcoCAR team at http://rhitecocar2.com/EcoCAR2.