U.S. EPA Joins Government, Industry, And Academic Consortium To Develop Next Generation EcoCARs

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge today announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has joined the EcoCAR consortium of government, industry and academic leaders who are helping to develop the next generation of automotive engineers who will design and build the environmental vehicles of the future.

TheEcoCARcompetition, along with its headline sponsors - the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors (GM), challenges 17 universities across the U.S. and Canada to redesign and reengineer a 2009 Saturn VUE to further minimize fuel consumption and reduce emissions. A joint effort among academic, government and industry partners, EcoCARseeks to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers by giving them the tools and experience necessary to secure a more energy-efficient future.

EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality will serve as a major sponsor of the EcoCAR competition, providing technical advice and mentoring in the areas of greenhouse gas and tailpipe emissions. EPA will also conduct dynamometer emissions testing on the competition vehicles at their National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

"Developing clean, efficient vehicle technology is critical to our mission of protecting public health and the environment" said Margo T. Oge, Director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality at EPA. "This competition brings together government, industry and universities to reduce vehicle emissions, while infusing young engineers with a passion for the environment."

In addition to technical support, mentoring, and vehicle testing, EPA will provide significant funding to support the non-profit program. The agency will also play a major role in determining the winner of the competition, serving as a judge in all three competition finals. The agency's participation in the EcoCAR competition strengthens the public and private partnership formed to support the next generation of engineers striving to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas and tailpipe emissions of vehicles.

"This is an exciting day for EcoCAR and for the future of the next generation of vehicle technologies," said Patrick B. Davis, Vehicle Technologies Program Manager at the DOE. "As a platinum sponsor, the EPA will play a major role in educating these student engineers about the importance of reducing greenhouse gas and tailpipe emissions. Our partnership with EPA will help us todevelop and nurture science and engineering talent with real-world training and experience, allowing these engineering graduates to transition more rapidly into careers in the green vehicle industry."

"We are very pleased to further expand on the collaboration of industry, government and academia that is core to this competition by welcoming the EPA as a new sponsor," said Elizabeth A. Lowery, vice president, Environment, Energy and Safety Policy at General Motors. "GM is committed to helping prepare the next generation of automotive engineers to tackle some of the most pressing issues the industry faces today, and with the EPA now on-board EcoCAR students will gain an even better understanding of the real-world challenges of reducing tailpipe emissions. This added support from the EPA will help pave the way for these future engineers to drive their innovative designs out of the garage – and onto the road."

About EcoCAR

EcoCAR is a three-year competition that builds on the 20-year history of DOE advanced vehicle technology competitions by giving engineering students the chance to design and build advanced vehicles that demonstrate leading-edge automotive technologies. General Motors provides vehicles, vehicle components, seed money, technical mentoring and operational support. The U.S. Department of Energy and its research and development facility, Argonne National Laboratory, provide competition management, team evaluation and technical and logistical support. Through this important partnership between government and industry, EcoCAR aims to inspire and support the next generation of scientists and engineers to unite around the common goal of sustainable mobility. For more EcoCAR information visit www.ecocarchallenge.org.

About the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

For more information about the United States Environmental Protection Agency and its programs, please refer to www.epa.gov.