Managed by the Argonne National Laboratory's Center for Transportation Research and led by Ford Motor Co. and the U.S.Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, FutureTruck helps develop hundreds of highly skilled engineers. The competition builds the students' awareness of fuel-saving technologies and prepares them to lead the auto industry in the 21st Century.
The teams must achieve the fuel-economy and emission goals without sacrificing the performance, utility, safety and affordability of the sport- utility vehicles they are modifying. The competing students are employing a variety of technologies, including advanced propulsion systems, lightweight materials, hybrid-electric designs and such alternative fuels as hydrogen, ethanol and biodiesel.
After months of work, teams will take their vehicles to Ford's Michigan Proving Ground in Romeo, Michigan, on June 15 and 16 for a comprehensive safety evaluation, and a battery of static and dynamic testing.
Visteon Promotes Engineering Excellence Through FutureTruck Competition
Visteon Corporation (NYSE: VC) is proud to be a major sponsor of FutureTruck 2004, a program that challenges teams of engineering students from 15 top North American universities to re-engineer 2002 Ford Explorers to reduce emissions and achieve at least a 25 percent improvement in fuel economy.