EcoCAR 3 competition to use Chevy Camaro as base vehicle

General Motors is continuing its partnership with the US Department of Energy and Argonne National Laboratory for the EcoCAR 3 collegiate advanced vehicle technology competition. and will donate a Chevrolet Camaro to each one of the 16 universities that were recently selected for the exclusive competition.

For EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future, GM donated Chevrolet Malibus; for EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge, GM donated Saturn Vues; and for Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility, the company donated Chevrolet Equinoxes.

EcoCAR 3 challenges university students across North America to design, build and optimize eco-friendly powertrains over the course of the next four years. Students must also consider cost and explore innovation, while retaining the vehicle’s performance, safety and consumer appeal. Schools selected for EcoCAR 3 are:

Arizona State University California State University, Los Angeles Colorado State University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Georgia Institute of Technology McMaster University Mississippi State University Ohio State University

Pennsylvania State University University of Tennessee, Knoxville University of Alabama University of Washington University of Waterloo Virginia Tech Wayne State University West Virginia University

To support the goals, students will explore a variety of advanced propulsion systems, lightweight materials, improve aerodynamics, and utilize alternative fuels.

GM will also supply each team with seed money in the amount of $20,000 plus an additional $10,000 in program-initiation funding for teams who were not previously included in the EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future or EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge series in an effort to diminish any disadvantage for new teams.

Teams will follow a real-world Vehicle Development Process (VDP) to design and integrate their advanced technology solutions into GM-donated Camaro, gaining hands-on experience with industry-leading engineering tools and the latest vehicle components and technologies.