GM, DoE kick off Challenge X

In a four-day session held this past summer, The MathWorks (Natick, MA) trained engineering students to use the company's Matlab and Simulink software—programs the students will need when they participate in Challenge X, a student engineering competition sponsored by General Motors and the Department of Energy.

This three-year competition provides student engineering teams with an opportunity to re-engineer a GM SUV to reduce energy consumption and decrease emissions while maintaining or exceeding the vehicle's utility and performance. In addition to gaining experience in real-world engineering practices, participants will develop a strong understanding of advanced vehicle technologies.

Each team will receive $10,000 in seed money and is eligible to receive up to $25,000 in additional production parts from GM as well as software and hardware donations from other sponsors. In the first year of the challenge, students will focus on modeling, simulating, and testing the vehicle powertrain and vehicle subsystem. In the second and third years, the teams will develop and integrate their advanced powertrains and subsystems into a donated vehicle. At the conclusion of each year, the teams' work will be evaluated and judged.

Teams from 17 universities have been selected to participate in Challenge X. The Mathworks, which donated software to the project, is just one of many co-sponsors. Other "platinum-level" sponsors include Natural Resources Canada, National Instruments, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Transportation. www.challengex.org.