EcoCAR 2: Plugging in to the Future, is a three-year collegiate student engineering competition and the only program of its kind. The competition challenges 15 universities across North America to reduce the environmental impact of a 2013 GM-donated Chevrolet Malibu without compromising real world performance or safety.Established by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors (GM), and managed by Argonne National Laboratory with support from Natural Resources Canada, EcoCAR 2 succeeds the widely acclaimed competition series EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge.EcoCAR 2 builds on a proud 23-year history of DOE Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions that exemplify the power of public/private partnerships in providing invaluable experience and training to promising university students readying to enter the job market. UWAFT is one of only two Canadian universities competing in EcoCAR 2; making the competition even more of a unique and exciting experience! For EcoCAR 2, UWAFT is designing and building an E85 Series Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle for reduced fuel consumption, emissions, and improved consumer acceptability.

EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge tasked 16 university teams across North America to reduce the environmental impact of a GM-donated Chevrolet Vue SUV by minimizing the vehicle’s fuel consumption and emissions while retaining the vehicle’s performance, safety and consumer appeal. UWAFT used a real-world engineering process to design and integrate advanced vehicle technologies into a Chevrolet Vue to build a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle.UWAFT won the following awards at the competition:3rd Place Overall1st Place Overall in OutreachBest Media Relations CampaignBest Sponsor Success StoryBest Consumer CampaignBest Final Presentation

Challenge X was a four-year competition series amongst engineering students from across North America. Its purpose was to advance vehicle technology towards a goal of sustainable mobility.UWAFT's won the following awards at the competition:Zero Tailpipe EmissionsUWAFT's vehicle was the only one to successfully compete as a dedicated hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle

4th Place – Hybrid and Alternative Fuel Category1st Place – Range and ReliabilityBest Acceleration

The Tour De Sol, which was originally a Solar Car event, gradually opened up to electric cars, hybrid cars, and for the first time an Ethanol Vehicle Category was created for 2001.The competition ran from May 19th-26th, beginning in Waterbury, CT and finishing in Boston, MA. The competition involved all vehicle entries facing scrutinizing technical testing including a safety examination, practicality and display board evaluations, and slalom, acceleration and braking performance events.UWAFT won the following awards at the competition:1st Place – Ethanol Vehicle CategoryBest Ethanol Fuel EconomyBest AccelerationGreenest Ethanol Vehicle

The Ethanol Vehicle Challenge, a three-year vehicle design competition, began in 1998. It gave students real-world engineering experience as they convert new vehicles built for gasoline into optimised vehicles fuelled solely by E-85 (a blend of 85% denatured ethanol and 15% gasoline-like hydrocarbon primer). The goal was an ethanol-fuelled vehicle with greater fuel economy and lower exhaust emissions, but with the driveability, performance, and consumer appeal of a conventional gasoline vehicle. UWAFT won the following awards in each annual competition:1998:2nd Place OverallBest Fuel EconomyBest Ethanol Conversion1999:4th Place OverallLowest Engine-Out EmissionsBest Design Presentation2000:2nd Place OverallBest Fuel EconomyBest Ethanol Conversion

The Propane Vehicle Challenge featured two types of vehicle categories: a long-wheelbase Chrysler minivan, equipped with a 3.3L-V6 engine, and a 1995 Dodge Dakota Pickup with a 5.2L-V8 engine. More than 300 students from 17 schools in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico competed in San Antonio, College Station and Austin, Tex., to advance the development of propane-powered vehicles. The competition was aimed at encouraging innovation in propane vehicle technology, specifically in terms of vehicle performance, emissions control, fuel economy and fuel storage; collecting data to define the state of propane vehicle technology; and providing student engineers with a learning experience in a real-life engineering project.UWAFT won the followings awards at the competition:1st Place OverallLowest EmissionsBest New TeamBest Design Presentation