The EcoCar Challenge entered its next phase last week by announcing that Mississippi State University won the first place prize for Year Two. This three-year contest pits 17 universities against each other with hopes of developing automobiles with high fuel economies and low emissions. The Mississippi State EcoCar Team combined a 21 kWh A124 Systems battery, a 1.3-liter turbodiesel engine and a 75kW generator to produce a range-extended vehicle. Student designers indicated that the prototype could travel up to 60 miles on all-electric power and achieve 118 miles per gallon.
The second place prize in Year Two was awarded to Virginia Tech University and its extended-range ethanol vehicle. This entry uses a 2.4-liter ethanol engine, 21kWh battery pack and 90kW Ballard electric motor to reduce fuel consumption by 78% compared to a comparable model. EcoCar Challenge judges gave the third place prize to Penn State University and its extended-range biodiesel vehicle. Penn State students combined a 12.8kWh battery pack, a 1.3-liter biodiesel engine and an 110kW electric motor to produce an equivalent fuel economy of 57 miles per gallon.
The EcoCar Challenge is sponsored by General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy with the hopes of finding the next generation of vehicles designs. In the first year, university teams submitted designs for greener vehicles that were judged by industry experts. In early 2010, these teams entered Year Two by attending workshops at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. All 17 teams used resources from the university and General Motors to put their initial designs into action. General Motors allowed EcoCar participants to test their vehicles at the company’s Desert Proving Grounds in Yuma, Arizona. These tests allowed judges to assess criteria including fuel efficiency, performance and safety against the promises of initial simulations.
We will need to see how the Mississippi State, Virginia Tech and Penn State teams fair as we head into Year Three. These innovations in automobile design are not only important for this generation of vehicles but the next generation. Student designers are gaining access to parts, research tools and funding needed to put new ideas into motion. As the EcoCar Challenge recedes into the rearview mirror, participants will become auto designers and executives responsible for greener vehicles in the next 50 years. We must hope that these young experts stick to their guns as they enter the auto industry rather than sticking to the status quo.
