EcoCAR competition unveils student designs for cars of the future

_{EcoCAR:The NeXt Challenge}

EcoCAR:The NeXt Challenge

Here's a quick roundup of the designs presented for consideration:

• Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles: Six of the teams designed vehicles containing large lithium ion batteries that can be recharged by plugging into a regular wall socket. This type of car is capable of operating independently from the engine, but once the battery goes dead it continues to operate as a regular hybrid.

• Extended Range Electric Vehicles: Eight of the teams have proposed models much like GM's Chevy Volt with electric power trains and advanced fuel storage systems for longer-range driving. These vehicles run on a blend of biodiesel, petroleum, gas and ethanol.

• Full Function Electric Vehicle: One team, from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, went out on a limb to design a fully electric model with a range of 200 miles. It runs on batteries that can be charged using a regular electric wall outlet.

• Fuel Cell Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles: Two of the teams designed models operating off of hydrogen fuel cells. They also have batteries that can also be charged via a normal wall outlet. The fuel cell is a backup for if and when the battery pack stops producing power.

All 17 of the submissions can be plugged in to cut down on gas usage and use lithium ion batteries to extend driving range. The designs will be judged by a panel of experts and sponsors on counts of performance, consumer appeal, safety, ride quality, environmental footprint, and how well they conform to realistic conditions. Winning teams get recogniition from major institutions and potential employers, in addition to varying cash prizes put up by contributors.

After this stage in the contest, prototypes of the vehicles will be built and tested at General Motors' proving grounds (made available by the company for temporary use).

Each team represents a different school (full list of participating universities here), with each school hand-picked by Argonne National Laboratory, the Department of Energy research center that manages the EcoCAR challenge. Universities are selected based on their engineering departments' resources, and faculty and student interest. Teams from each can range from a handful of students to a hundred, depending on the school.

Frank Falcone, one of EcoCAR's main coordinators (and former challenge participant), says each three-year contest cycle costs about $60 to $70 million, provided by the DOE and a bevy of sponsors, including, perhaps unexpectedly, the government of Canada, and more predictably, sustainable transportation innovator A123 Systems. Many of the sponsors provide laboratory resources and engineering mentorship in addition to funding.

Falcone says EcoCAR presents an ideal opportunity for students interested in getting involved with new vehicle technology, as there are very few other points of entry to the industry as an undergraduate. Many of them take jobs at sponsoring companies and contest observers after earning their degrees, including General Motors.