Ever since 1997, a group of engineering students and faculty from the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) have worked together on the Ethanol Vehicle
Team (EVT). The EVT was assembled in the fall of 1997 after UNL was
invited to participate in the first ever Ethanol Vehicle Challenge. The EVC
was intended
to encourage innovation in ethanol (E85) vehicle technology,
collect data to define the
state of ethanol (E85) technology, and provide student 
engineers with a hands-on learning
experience in a real-life engineering project. The goal of the 1998 EVC was to convert a
1997 Chevrolet Malibu equipped with a 3.1L-V6 engine so that it would run on E85 fuel (85%
denatured corn alcohol & 15% gasoline) and at the same time meet Ultra Low Vehicle
Emission Levels while maintaining good driveability. After 6 months of
allowed modification time, the team took their vehicle to General Motors'
Milford Proving Grounds in Milford, MI to compete against 13 other colleges and
universities from across the United States and Canada. It was at the
Challenge where the schools' vehicles were put through a battery of tests which
included vehicle emissions, cold- and
hot-starting performance, design, fuel economy, driveability, acceleration, handling, and
range. After the tests were completed, the schools participated in a road
rally to Washington, D.C. for the Clean Cities Conference.
In 1999, the Ethanol Vehicle Challenge continued, but
this time with a different vehicle. GM replaced the 1997 Chevrolet Malibu
with a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 4x4 pickup. The goal was the same...each
team was allowed six months to convert the Silverado over to dedicated E85 use
while maintaining or exceeding
stock performance numbers. The rules for the 1999 EVC were the same as 1998
except for a few
changes. A timed off-road event replaced the slalom event from 1998, a loaded hill climb
up a 7.2% grade was performed towing a 7,000 lb. trailer, and emissions were sampled at
cold start as well as on the dynamometer. In May of 1999, the 14 schools
once again gather at the Milford Proving Grounds to strut their stuff.
After testing the schools took part in a Midwest road trip which led the teams
through Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana.
2000 brought with it the
third and final year of the Ethanol Vehicle Challenge which saw student teams
refining their 1999 Silverados even further since a new platform was not
introduced (we would
have hoped for Suburbans or Corvettes, but oh well). Two new teams from Canada
also joined the Challenge and were partnered with
U.S. schools, and brought the entry total to 16 schools. Since a new vehicle
was not introduced, a full year was allotted for
changes to the previous year's vehicle. In May of 2000 all 16 teams met in
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada to begin the competition portion of the 2000
Challenge. Instead of localized testing at once facility (like the Proving
Grounds), testing was spread out to various locations across the providence of
Ontario. Major cities visited by the teams included Ottawa, Luskville,
Oshawa (where most of the Silverados are manufactured), Toronto, Chatham, and
Windsor.
