Student Teams Show Off “Green” Vehicles at LA Ride and Drive

Student Teams Show Off “Green” Vehicles at LA Ride and Drive

Opportunity for Comparison Drives of Collegiate Advanced Technology Vehicles

Equipped with Biodiesel, Ethanol and Hydrogen


WHAT:
General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy will host a media ride and drive event featuring vehicles from the collegiate engineering competition Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility. Program officials also will reveal details for the next national competition beginning mid-2008.

Challenge X is a unique multi-year engineering competition that provides 17 university teams from across North America real-world engineering experience and the opportunity to follow the GM global vehicle development process to create advanced propulsion technology solutions that will increase energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact.  Each team has re-engineered a Chevy Equinox with a range of hybrid, plug-in or fuel cell propulsion systems, powered by alternative fuels such as biodiesel, ethanol and hydrogen.

By participating in the Challenge X program, the students are gaining real-world engineering skills and hands-on learning that will better prepare them for their future engineering careers and will help seed the industry with engineers who are committed to advancing vehicle technology to address the energy and transportation challenges of the 21st Century.  Since the competition began in 2004, GM has hired more than 50 Challenge X students.  Additional information about Challenge X is available on the Web at http://www.challengex.org.

WHO:
Students from the 17 universities competing in Challenge X, including the teams from San Diego State University and the University of California, Davis

WHEN:
· Thursday, November 29, 2007
· Broadcast media: 5:30 to 8 a.m.
· Print media: 8 to 10 a.m.

WHERE:
Petersen Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire Boulevard (at Fairfax Avenue)
Los Angeles, Calif. 90036