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Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology has been one of 17 North American colleges and universities selected to participate in EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge, an unique collegiate vehicle engineering competition organized by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors and Natural Resources Canada to help develop the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Beginning this fall, EcoCAR will challenge Rose-Hulman students to re-engineer a Saturn VUE to achieve improved fuel economy and reduced green house 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 (CARB) zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) 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 utilize 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.
“We are very excited to part of the EcoCAR competition. Being one of only 17 schools to be a part of this challenge is an honor, and I know our students will take up this work with the enthusiasm and skill they demonstrated in Challenge X,” stated Rose-Hulman President Gerald Jakubowski. “EcoCAR provides exactly the kind of hands-on, project-based learning experience that so important to the Rose-Hulman experience. I look forward to watching Rose-Hulman’s
EcoCAR develop. I’d like to thank GM, the Department of Energy and all the sponsors for making this challenge available.”
Rose-Hulman's EcoCar project will be advised by Zac Chambers, associate professor of mechanical engineering, and Marc Herniter, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. Both faculty members were involved with Rose-Hulman's participation in the Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility engineering competition, a four-year vehicle development project that concluded in May.
Joining Rose-Hulman in EcoCAR will be Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Howard University, Michigan Technological University, Mississippi State University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, North Carolina State University, The Ohio State University, Ontario Institute of Technology (Canada), Pennsylvania State University, Texas Tech University, University of Waterloo (Canada), University of Victoria (British
Columbia), University of Wisconsin, Virginia Tech and West Virginia University.
Additional information about EcoCAR is available on the Web at www.ecoCARchallenge.org. |
