The Challenge X is a three-year engineering competition sponsored by GM and the US Department of Energy. This time the seventeen university teams participating had to reengineer 2005 Chevy Equinox focusing on focused on powertrain development, demonstration of the energy use and emissions goals. Judged on categories like, towing capacity, acceleration, off-road performance, greenhouse gas impact, total well-to-wheels fuel economy, emissions, and consumer acceptability - the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) came first.
The team reengineered 2005 Chevrolet Equinox as a split-parallel hybrid with a 2.0-liter E85 flex-fuel engine (a Saab BioPower engine) and a 67 kW motor with a 288V NiMH battery pack.
Ed Wall, DOE program manager for FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Office:
Developing the advanced technologies that reduce US dependence on imported oil is critical to the future prosperity of our country. Challenge X shows that the cooperation of industry, government and academia is an excellent approach to developing more energy-efficient and greener automotive technologies.
Via: Green Car Congress
