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Together We Will

An education from the ÌìÃÀÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½ offers a wealth of opportunities to tackle real-life challenges and make a difference in the world. Imagine, for example, joining forces with students from across campus to build a cleaner, more efficient vehicle as part of a national competition.

That’s exactly what a team of engineering, business, design and communications students is doing as part of a four-year EcoCAR 3 challenge. The goal: To convert a Chevrolet Camaro into an advanced hybrid electric vehicle while maintaining the muscle and performance expected from this iconic American car. This is the second time a UW team has been invited to participate in the competition. They finished second nationally the first time out and have their sights set on a first-place finish with EcoCAR 3.

It’s an incredible thing we have to do performance-wise to meet the targets of the competition, and there’s no such vehicle out there. This is what makes it an educational and engineering challenge for us. I’m confident we’ll be able to do it.

— Brian Fabien, EcoCar 3 faculty adviser and professor of mechanical engineering

EcoCAR 2: A look back

A first-time school with a second-place finish

In the spring of 2014, the first team the UW entered in the EcoCAR competition reconstructed a 2013 Chevy Malibu and finished second. The vehicle was a Parallel-Through-The-Road (PTTR) Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), in which a diesel engine powers the front axle and an electric motor powers the back. This design meant easy component packaging, tons of power, all-wheel-drive and an even weight distribution — all with an average 90 miles to the gallon.

A lot of the engineers this spring were working 70 to 80 hours a week on the car in addition to going to school. We’re really proud of the car we built.

— Kate Kitto, sophomore, Communications