Department of Energy
Closed: 01/01/2008 - 03/03/2008
RFP [? ]
Other
The EcoCAR Challenge is a three-year competition that builds on the 19-year history of DOE VTCs by giving engineering students the chance to design and build advanced vehicles that demonstrate leading-edge automotive technologies, with the goal of minimizing the environmental impact of personal transportation and illustrating pathways to a sustainable transportation future. DOE has again joined General Motors (GM), Natural Resources Canada, and other sponsors for this new competition series, named the EcoCAR Challenge. Argonne National Laboratory, a DOE R&D facility, will organize and operate the EcoCAR Challenge. The technologies explored in EcoCAR are identical to the ones that are under investigation by the automotive industry to meet the demands of improved energy efficiency and dramatic reductions in GHGs, as well as to address California zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) regulations. These technologies include full-function electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and fuel cell hybrid vehicles. The only fuels approved for use in EcoCAR are E-10 ethanol, E85 ethanol, B20 bio-diesel, compressed gaseous hydrogen, and the energy carrier electricity. Teams selected on the basis of their response to the EcoCAR RFP will design and integrate advanced-technology powertrains, lightweight materials, and aerodynamic improvements into a production vehicle, with the goal of minimizing the environmental impact of personal transportation and leading the way to a sustainable transportation future. Using this approach, EcoCAR will explore pathways for future vehicles while giving the student participants the knowledge and experience they need to rapidly develop critical engineering skills and become the next generation of leaders in the automotive industry. Nature of the EcoCAR Challenge EcoCAR will be a unique competition employing advanced vehicle technologies based on the California Air Resources Board (CARB) requirements for Zero Emission Vehicle credits
1. The vehicle types supported in EcoCAR will be (similar to CARB Types D, E, II, and III):
Hybrid vehicle < 50 kW hybrid power
Hybrid vehicle > 50 kW hybrid power
Range-extender and full-function electric vehicles
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles
EcoCAR is based on a real-world integrated vehicle design and development process. Teams of engineers from the selected schools will develop their vehicles following a modified GM Global Vehicle Development Process (GVDP) for each phase of the three-year competition. By the end of the competition, the sponsors expect fully developed vehicles equivalent to prototypes ready for a production decision. While applying proven methods for engineering successful prototype vehicles, students will learn real-world engineering skills that will make them highly effective in the automotive industry. At the conclusion of each of EcoCAR’s three years, a week-long competition involving all of the participating schools will take place in June at a GM vehicle proving ground or other appropriate location in North America.
More info: http://www.challengex.org/pdfs/ecocar_nopi_final.pdf
