Seventeen Student Teams from the Nation's Top Schools Design "Green" Hybrid-Powered Vehicles; University of Wisconsin and Ohio State University Finish Second and Third

May 2008 (Medialink) - Seventeen engineering teams from the nation's top universities were challenged by the Department of Energy in a groundbreaking four-year competition called Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility. Mississippi State University took top honors, followed by Wisconsin University in second and Ohio State University in third. The University of Waterloo came in fourth, in fifth place was the University of Tulsa and Pennsylvania State University ranked sixth.

The teams had to re-engineer a Chevy Equinox crossover using a range of hybrid, plug-in or fuel cell propulsion systems to increase energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact. The Mississippi State team designed a through-the-road parallel hybrid electric vehicle powered by a 1.9L GM direct injection turbo diesel engine fueled by bio diesel (B20). It achieved a 38 percent increase in fuel economy over the production vehicle on a modified urban test cycle.

Additional highlights of the Challenge X vehicles include:
- Plug-in Hybrid - The University of California at Davis is the only team to use plug-in hybrid technology for the energy source for its Challenge X vehicle.
- Biodiesel Fuel Source - Twelve teams used biodiesel fuel (B20).
- Hydrogen Fuel Cell - The University of Waterloo has a dedicated hydrogen fuel cell for its primary propulsion source, and as a result, its vehicle emits zero emissions from the tailpipe.
- Hydrogen Fuel Source - Pennsylvania State University, Texas Tech University and the University of Tulsa used hydrogen as a supplementary or secondary propulsion source. Penn State injected hydrogen into its vehicle's diesel engine as an emissions abatement strategy.
- Belt Alternator/Starter Technology - Five teams, including Ohio State University and Virginia Tech, used belt alternator/starter technology for an electric performance assist in their vehicles.
- Ultracapacitors - West Virginia University and the University of Akron used ultracapacitors to source high levels of power for short periods of time and recapture energy from braking.

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Produced for General Motors

Contact:
Lisa Zlotnick, 212.812.7129
Lana Kim, 212.812.7132
Nicola Blount, 212-812-7184

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