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QUICK FACTS AND BACKGROUNDBackgroundOver the past decade, as American consumers have tended to purchase family-sized vehicles that offer more utility, there has been a simultaneous demand to reduce energy consumption and vehicle emissions. During this time, the automotive industry, U.S. government, and academia have been working together through a series of special competition programs to develop and explore advanced technologies to address these important energy and environmental issues, and lead to sustainable vehicle solutions. Previous competition programs have challenged thousands of engineering students across the United States and Canada to achieve better fuel economy and lower emissions while maintaining the safety, performance, utility and consumer appeal of a variety of vehicles. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and key industry sponsors led by General Motors Corporation (GM) have expanding that concept and developed a new competition series that launched in 2004. The new competition series differs from previous programs by following a vehicle development process that is used in industry, teaching students the real-world process and better equipping them with the tools they need to fully realize their vehicle designs. Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable MobilityThe U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors have teamed up with other sponsors to challenge the best and brightest engineering students from universities throughout North America in the three-year competition series, Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility. The 2005-2006 academic year is the second year of the program. Seventeen university teams from the United States and Canada are following a hands-on, real-world engineering process, based on GM's Global Vehicle Design Process, at each phase of the three-year competition. By applying proven methods for engineering successful prototype vehicles, the program aims to teach real-world engineering skills to students that will make them highly valuable to the automotive community. Students are working on a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox – a GM crossover sport utility vehicle platform –integrating cutting-edge advanced automotive technologies and alternative fuels, such as hydrogen, ethanol, and biodiesel, to minimize total environmental impact and build a sustainable transportation future. Competition DetailsYear One of Challenge X emphasized vehicle simulation, powertrain testing, and engineering trade-offs that occur in the early stages of vehicle design. The students were challenged to do intensive modeling, simulation and testing to guide their hardware development - a key phase of the GM Vehicle Development Process. At the end of Year One each team received an identical stock 2005 Chevrolet Equinox. The powertrain designs developed in the first year are now being installed into vehicles in this second year of competition, giving the teams a head start on the vehicle integration process as they bring their designs to life. The final two years of Challenge X focus on the second and third key phases of the vehicle development process – vehicle integration and full vehicle development. In Years Two and Three, each university team will integrate and refine their advanced powertrain and other vehicle subsystems into their Equinox. Year Two will focus on powertrain development and demonstration of the energy use and emissions goals of the competition. Team vehicles will be judged extensively in categories such as towing capacity, acceleration, off-road performance, greenhouse gas impact, total well-to-wheels fuel economy, emissions, and consumer acceptability. Teams will also be required to give technical oral presentations and submit an SAE-style technical paper. Year Three will require further refinement of the vehicle with the goal of delivering a "showroom" vehicle that addresses the requirements of consumers. At the conclusion of each competition year, teams will be judged on their execution, progress toward meeting the Challenge X goals and ability to predict their performance using math-based tools. Participants & SponsorsA selection process open to all accredited engineering schools in the United States and Canada began in September 2003, and 17 teams were selected in February 2004. Challenge X participants were announced in the spring of 2004. The U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors are the headline sponsors for the Challenge X competition; Argonne National Laboratory, a Department of Energy R&D facility, will provide competition management, team evaluation and technical and logistical support. More than 30 industry sponsors provide participating teams with leading-edge math simulation software, automotive propulsion systems, fuels, emissions-control technologies, fuel cells and other tools and technologies to compete in the program; they also provide mentoring support to the students. Contacts:
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