Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions (AVTC)

Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions (AVTCs) are competitions sponsored by the United State's Department of Energy, in partnership with private industry and universities, which stimulates "the development of advanced propulsion and alternative fuel technologies and provide the training ground for the next generation of automotive engineers."^[1]

Overview

Since 1988, the U.S. Department of Energy has sponsored Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions (AVTCs) in partnership with the North American automotive industry. Managed by the Argonne National Laboratory, AVTCs represent a unique coalition of government, industry and academic partners who join forces to execute North America’s premier collegiate automotive engineering competitions. AVTCs provide a challenging, real-world training ground for North America’s future engineers and automotive leaders and accelerate the development and demonstration of technologies of interest to the DOE and the automotive industry.

History of Competitions

EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge

Established by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors, and managed by Argonne National Lab, EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge was a three year (2008-2011) series that challenged 16 universities to redesign a Saturn Vue in order to reduce its environmental impact.^[2]

EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future

Spanning three years from 2011-2014, EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future challenged 15 universities to reduce the environmental impact of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. This competition was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors, and managed by Argonne National Lab.^[3]

EcoCAR 3

EcoCAR 3 is the current installment of AVTC's, spanning from 2014 to 2018, and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors, and managed by Argonne National Lab. This four-year competition challenges 16 North American universities to redesign a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro in order to reduce its environmental impact, while maintaining safety and consumer acceptability.^[4] The technical goals of this competition involve further:

• Reducing energy consumption
• Reducing well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions
• Reducing criteria tailpipe emissions
• Maintaining consumer acceptability in the areas of performance, utility, and safety
• Meeting energy and environmental goals, while considering cost and innovation^[5]

References

External links

• AVTC main page
• EcoCAR 3 main page