Colleges in the U.S. will modify new Chevrolet Malibu models to reduce the environmental impact of the sedans without compromising performance, safety and consumer acceptability.
Karl-Friedrich Stracke the new head of GM’s Opel/Vauxhall subsidiary today announced a three-year contest for colleges in the U.S. to modify new Chevrolet Malibu models to reduce the environmental impact of the sedans without compromising performance, safety and consumer acceptability. The U.S. Department of Energy, via taxpayers, is also subsidizing the program for 16 university teams.
EcoCar2 builds on the first EcoCar Challenge that ends after three years this spring. Argonne National Laboratory, a DOE R&D facility, organized and operated the contest, and General Motors provided vehicles, parts, technical expertise and proving ground access.
Stracke made the announcement at the opening of the 2011 SAE World Congress in Detroit, Michigan at what’s said to be the world’s largest gathering of transportation engineers. With the theme of “Charging Forward Together,” the annual SAE Congress runs today through Thursday at Cobo Center.
In a sign of how the U.S. no longer occupies the predominate position it once held in automotive engineering, LG Chem, a Korean company that supplies the lithium-ion cells used in the Chevrolet Volt, will be the event’s tier one strategic partner.
Engineers from automakers, suppliers and academia from around attend the SAE World Congress to share knowledge about new developments in transportation technologies. The Congress will highlight the importance of advanced propulsion system technology and improving energy efficiency, with numerous technical sessions emphasizing next-generation propulsion systems, alternative fuels and vehicle occupant safety.
Stracke, a 32-year veteran of GM, has led global vehicle engineering for the last year and a half. General Motors is a long time major sponsor of SAE and its standards.
During the three-day conference, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from numerous GM leaders including Uwe Grebe, executive director, GM Powertrain Global Advanced Engineering; Michael J. Bly, executive director, Global Electrical Systems; Alan Taub, vice president, Global Research & Development; and Larry Nitz, executive director, Hybrid & Electric Powertrain Engineering.
GM will also open the nearby Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center for SAE tours of the factory where the world’s first extended-range electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt, is assembled.
On Thursday evening, GM CEO Akerson will close the 2011 Congress with a keynote address at the SAE annual banquet. Akerson’s remarks will focus on how vehicle electrification and other technologies are transforming the auto industry.
Akerson, a Wall Street moneyman and Treasury Department appointee, is currently the topic of much discussion in industry media circles after he likened automobiles to consumer products such as Coca-Cola in an interview.
Veterans who have heard such marketing babble before – say, from Ron Zarella who came to GM in 1994 from Bausch & Lomb in what turned out to be a disastrous tenure as president in North America that saw the company continue to lose marketshare as products were scrimped on. With Zarella’s resignation in 2001, Robert Lutz became chairman of North America, and continued his emphasis on making world class vehicles, not soft drinks. Akerson has since downgraded the top product development job at GM from the vice chairman level to a vp spot.
