For the past three years, students from all over the country have been competing to design the ultimate vehicle that balances performance, safety and consumer appeal with fuel efficiency and emissions-reduction.

The 16 university teams participating in EcoCar: The NeXt Challenge recently tested their cars in Ann Arbor, MI, as they geared up for the Competition Finals.

Teams chose a variety of approaches in building their EcoCar Chevy: some opted for an all-electrical model; others used hydrogen as the fuel; and a number of teams built plug-in hybrids, using an electric motor to drive the vehicle before a gasoline engine takes over.

The competition is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the vehicles were donated by General Motors. The winner of the EcoCar challenge receives a trophy and $7,000, and two faculty members will each receive $10,000 for their respective engineering programs.

Introduction to EcoCAR from EcoCAR on Vimeo.

Filed under: e-News, Environmental, Mechanical, Transportation

Tags: Cars, Environmental, Green Transportation, Mechanical, Transportation