DOE Announces its New Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition

EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge is a three-year competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors, Natural Resources Canada and other sponsors. EcoCAR provides engineering students the chance to design and build advanced vehicles that demonstrate leading-edge automotive technologies with the goal of minimizing the environmental impact of personal transportation and illustrating pathways to a sustainable transportation future.

EcoCAR provides a unique three-year hands-on educational experience for collegiate students in various engineering disciplines, as well as business, marketing, communications, journalism, computer science and other fields that addresses key societal issues and helps to better prepare them for their careers after graduation.

Selected teams are challenged to explore vehicle technologies identical to those under investigation by the automotive industry to meet the demands to improve energy efficiency, dramatically reduce greenhouse gases, and address California zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) regulations.

How to Participate

Universities with accredited engineering programs in North America may compete for the opportunity to participate in the EcoCAR Challenge through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process.

Click here to read the full EcoCAR Notice of Program Interest.

To receive a copy of the RFP, universities must complete the online Notice of Interest form. The RFP will be distributed after December 3, 2007.

Key EcoCAR Dates

• Notice of Interest due: Nov. 23, 2007–Jan. 4, 2008
• RFP available — December 3, 2007
• RFP teleconference — January, 2008
• Proposals due — March 3, 2008
• Teams selected — Spring 2008
• Kick Off Workshop — Spring 2008