Cobasys Sponsors Challenge X

Advanced Battery Technology,  Jun 2005  

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Cobasys of Orion, Michigan, has joined General Motors (GM) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in sponsoring Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility. Challenge X is a new three-year engineering competition series that challenges student teams from 17 North American universities to explore advanced vehicle solutions that reduce energy consumption and decrease emissions. Launched for the 2004-2005 academic year, the program is a joint effort among academe, government and industry partners to introduce energy-efficient technologies into the marketplace to help reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil.

Cobasys will award its NiMHax® battery packs to five of the 17 participating universities. The company also will provide its high power hybrid vehicle NiMHax 288-60 battery packs to the Challenge X participants along with technical support to the students as needed. The plug and play NiMHax packs offer longer life and more power in a smaller, lighter package than typical lead acid batteries and include battery monitoring, electronics, CAN communications and thermal management.

The students will follow a real-world engineering process based on GM's global vehicle development process at each phase of the three-year competition. Students will reengineer a 2005 Chevy Equinox using cutting-edge advanced automotive technologies, including advanced propulsion systems, hybrid designs, lightweight materials, and alternative fuels.

The first year of Challenge X has emphasized vehicle simulation, powertrain testing, and engineering trade-offs that occur in the early stages of vehicle design. Each team will receive its Chevy Equinox vehicle at the end of the first year, and will build upon the models and simulation efforts to bring the designs to life in years two and three. Competitions are held at the end of each academic year to showcase the teams' learning and vehicle development. Cobasys will help judge their progress each year.

Copyright Seven Mountains Scientific, Inc. Jun 2005
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