Contact: Robbie Ward
Mississippi State's Challenge X team is inviting state residents to help celebrate its second consecutive first-place finish in a national competition to re-engineer a Chevrolet Equinox for higher fuel efficiency and lower emissions.
Competing with 16 other university teams from throughout the United States and Canada, MSU recently repeated its 2007 win in a four-year competition jointly sponsored by General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy.
MSU's entry features an electric hybrid powered by a 1.9 liter GM direct- injection turbo diesel fueled by B20 biodiesel. It has achieved a 38 percent increase in fuel economy over the production model on a modified urban test cycle, while maintaining passenger comfort and vehicle performance.
After receiving accolades from U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman and other government and vehicle industry leaders, the MSU team was recognized in Motor Trend magazine.
Now, MSU team members are taking a Mississippi victory lap over the next two weeks to give interested members of the public an up-close appreciation of their hard work. The schedule includes:
JACKSON--Thursday, June 26, the state capitol's north entrance, 12:30-2 p.m.
MERIDIAN--Friday, the 27th, Multi-Modal Transportation Center, 5 p.m.
TUPELO--Tuesday, July 1, Tupelo Automobile Museum, noon.
At each stop, team members will explain the fuel-saving technologies and discuss their participation in the up-coming EcoCar competition, GM's follow-up project to Challenge X.
For more information about the MSU Challenge X tour, contact Maridith Geuder at 662-325-3442 or geuderm@ur.msstate.edu. For more on the project, visit www.challengex.org.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.