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Jessy Rider
EcoCar2 is the concept of making Fuel Efficient commercial cars of the ...
selinz
Most people look to their cars to fulfill a feeling of self worth and speed is ...
EcoCar2: Influencing auto design, young engineers
Brian Fuller
9/28/2012 7:08 PM EDT
SAN FRANCISCO--Programs like the college-engineering-focused EcoCar
2 challenge have gone a long way toward improving the design and
fuel efficiency of commercial cars, but ultimately the consumer will
determine how successful fuel-miserly automobiles will be in the
coming years.
So said Steve Gurski, an engineer at General Motors who works with the EcoCar 2 challenge, now its second of three years in its current incarnation. Gurski spoke from Natick, Mass., where he, other industry professionals and members from 15 college teams are meeting at Mathworks for the fall EcoCar 2 workshop for training and briefings.
[Get a 10% discount on ARM TechCon 2012 conference passes by using promo code EDIT. Click here to learn about the show and register.]
Fuel-efficient focus
"We've shifted the industry and pushed the industry toward more fuel-efficient vehicles. EcoCar is one of these leveraging points," Gurski said during a conference-call interview with Mathworks, organizers and a student competitor. "GM builds vehicles that people want. If fuel economy is important, we'll build economic vehicles, It's a chicken-and-egg question. Do (tighter fuel-economy) standards help push it in that direction? Of course they do."
Brian Benoy, lead technical coordinator for Argonne National Labs, and another EcoCar mentor, said all signs point toward cultural acceptance of--and even demand for--fuel-efficient cars.
"I personally believe that with the newer generations that are coming up in our country ... there's an emphasis on fuel efficiency and only using what you need and being environmentally conscious," he said.
Both Benoy and Gurski are alumni of the EcoCar challenge or its predecessor competitions, which stretch back a quarter century. They argue that student participation is not only good for engineering students, who get hands-on experience building automotive systems, but the automotive industry itself, which can cherry-pick EcoCar alums for choice positions.
Next: Intense competition
So said Steve Gurski, an engineer at General Motors who works with the EcoCar 2 challenge, now its second of three years in its current incarnation. Gurski spoke from Natick, Mass., where he, other industry professionals and members from 15 college teams are meeting at Mathworks for the fall EcoCar 2 workshop for training and briefings.
[Get a 10% discount on ARM TechCon 2012 conference passes by using promo code EDIT. Click here to learn about the show and register.]
Fuel-efficient focus
"We've shifted the industry and pushed the industry toward more fuel-efficient vehicles. EcoCar is one of these leveraging points," Gurski said during a conference-call interview with Mathworks, organizers and a student competitor. "GM builds vehicles that people want. If fuel economy is important, we'll build economic vehicles, It's a chicken-and-egg question. Do (tighter fuel-economy) standards help push it in that direction? Of course they do."
Brian Benoy, lead technical coordinator for Argonne National Labs, and another EcoCar mentor, said all signs point toward cultural acceptance of--and even demand for--fuel-efficient cars.
"I personally believe that with the newer generations that are coming up in our country ... there's an emphasis on fuel efficiency and only using what you need and being environmentally conscious," he said.
Both Benoy and Gurski are alumni of the EcoCar challenge or its predecessor competitions, which stretch back a quarter century. They argue that student participation is not only good for engineering students, who get hands-on experience building automotive systems, but the automotive industry itself, which can cherry-pick EcoCar alums for choice positions.
Next: Intense competition
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agk
9/29/2012 8:09 AM EDT
Lot of developments are taking place in this eco car segment.Probably by 2017 a new range of cars will be seen every where on the earth. And all our existing cars will go to museum by 2020.
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selinz
10/3/2012 1:40 PM EDT
Most people look to their cars to fulfill a feeling of self worth and speed is part of that. Until gas prices become much more painful, relatively affluent societies (NA, europe, etc) will continue to buy cars based on HP and 0-60 specs.
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Jessy Rider
5/20/2013 2:36 AM EDT
EcoCar2 is the concept of making Fuel Efficient commercial cars of the Engineering students. These can be run in less fuel, because these cars will be made in such technologies. Might be possibility of using Bio-fuels or Biodiesel will be an option for the future. Electric cars also a better option or a nice example of fuel efficient are. http://germanimportservices.com/
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