University Park, Pa. -- Penn State will be one of 17 universities participating in the U.S. Department of Energy's "Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility" competition beginning this fall.
Challenge X, a three-year program co-sponsored by General Motors (GM), charges engineering students with exploring vehicle solutions to decrease gas consumption and reduce emissions, while maintaining the vehicle's utility and consumer appeal.
The first year will focus on modeling, simulation and testing of the powertrain and vehicle subsystems. Years two and three will involve students' integration of the advanced powertrain and subsystems into a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox, donated by GM.
Other Challenge X sponsors include Argonne National Laboratory, The Math Works, National Instruments, Natural Resources Canada, Delphi, Dana Corp., BP, Ballard Power Systems, Renewable Fuels Association, Governors' Ethanol Coalition, Michelin, Freescale Semiconductor, Ricardo, Hydrogenics Corp., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Science Foundation.
Before Challenge X, the U.S. Department of Energy sponsored a similar program, FutureTruck, in which Penn State also participated. During the first two years, students re-engineered a Chevrolet Suburban they dubbed "Power Lion." It placed 14th in 2000 and ninth in 2001.
In 2002, students entered a Ford Explorer they named "Wattmuncher." It took fifth place in the 2002 and 2003 competitions and also won last year's Built Ford Tough Award. The Wattmuncher will make one final appearance at the concluding FutureTruck competition in June.