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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

ECOCAR 3 A COLLEGIATE ADVANCED VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY

COMPETITION

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Request for Proposals Issue Date

May 142013

Submission Deadline for Proposals

December 9, 2013, at 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

Required Documents 1. Administrative Proposal (requirements listed in “Proposal Content & Outline” section, pages 18–24) with the following naming convention: UniversityName_EC3AdminProposal.pdf

2. Letter signed by the Dean of Engineering confirming the university support requirements (listed in the “Dean of Engineering Letter Content” section, page 23) with the following naming convention: UniversityName_EC3DeanLetter.pdf

3. Vehicle Powertrain Modeling and Design Problem Proposal submission (listed in a separate document found on www.avtchistory.org) with the following naming convention: UniversityName_EC3ModelingProposal.pdf

Means of Submission An electronic PDF version of the Administrative Proposal, Dean’s letter, and Vehicle Powertrain Modeling and Design Problem Proposal submission must be emailed as three single files to ecocar3@anl.gov.

Anticipated Teams Accepted Up to 17 teams Eligibility Schools must be accredited by the Accreditation Board for

Engineering Technology (ABET) or the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) or the Council of Accreditation of the Education of Engineering (CACEI) in Mexico.

Multiple Submissions Only one proposal per school will be considered.

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CONTENTS Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................................ 1

Overview ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

EcoCAR 3: Vision and Goals ................................................................................................................................................. 5

Vision ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Technical Goals .................................................................................................................................................................... 6

About the Competition .......................................................................................................................................................... 6

Team Structure and Multidisciplinary Emphasis .................................................................................................. 6

Competition Format .......................................................................................................................................................... 8

EcoCAR Vehicle Development Process (EVDP) ................................................................................................. 8

Four-Year Overview of EcoCAR 3............................................................................................................................ 9

Vehicle Technical Specifications (VTS) .................................................................................................................... 11

Vehicle Technologies Supported ................................................................................................................................ 11

Fuels and Energy Carriers Supported ...................................................................................................................... 11

Greenhouse Gas, Regulated Emissions, and Energy in Transportation (GREET) Model ............... 12

Balancing Advanced Technology and Cost ........................................................................................................ 12

Safety is Paramount in EcoCAR 3 .......................................................................................................................... 13

Support For Teams Accepted Into EcoCAR 3 ............................................................................................................. 13

Support Provided By The Competition .................................................................................................................... 13

Support Provided By Universities ............................................................................................................................. 15

Matching Seed Money ................................................................................................................................................ 16

Matching Engineering GRA Funding .................................................................................................................... 16

Faculty Support............................................................................................................................................................. 16

Course Credit ................................................................................................................................................................. 17

EcoCAR 3 Proposals .............................................................................................................................................................. 18

Proposal Submission Content ...................................................................................................................................... 18

Administrative Proposal Content .......................................................................................................................... 18

Administrative Proposal Considerations ........................................................................................................... 23

Dean of Engineering Letter Content ..................................................................................................................... 23

Submission Criteria.......................................................................................................................................................... 24

Evaluation Criteria ........................................................................................................................................................... 24

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Notification of Acceptance or Rejection .................................................................................................................. 24

EcoCAR 3 Schedule ............................................................................................................................................................... 25

Web References ...................................................................................................................................................................... 25

OVERVIEW Future vehicles for personal transportation in North America and around the world are undergoing

the greatest design changes in the history of the automotive industry. The transformation of this

global industry is happening at a rate that is historically unprecedented, driven by regulations that

reflect society’s need to reduce the worldwide demand for oil, constrain the growth of carbon

dioxide emissions from the transportation sector, and improve air quality in densely populated

urban areas. These requirements pose major challenges for the established automotive supply

chain and design process. These transformational changes in an industry so integral to economic

prosperity and personal freedom around the world require transformational ways of approaching

the design of vehicles. Engineers now preparing to join the job market will be presented with

unparalleled opportunity — if they are prepared to hit the ground running with a wealth of

knowledge and hands-on experience. The engineers of tomorrow will need to design a new

generation of vehicles with technologies that are more advanced, innovative, and energy-efficient

than ever before. The energy efficiency of this new generation of vehicles will need to be

significantly higher than that of current vehicles. The key to achieving this ambitious requirement is

the development of advanced powertrains that use an electric drive and renewable fuels as well as

advanced materials and other innovations.

Argonne National Laboratory, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and

General Motors (GM), has established the EcoCAR 3 competition to develop new technology and

innovations for this new generation of vehicles as well as to develop the experience and knowledge

of the engineers and leaders who will make these vehicles a reality. As the administrator of this

four-year collegiate advanced vehicle technology competition (AVTC), Argonne is releasing this

Request for Proposal (RFP) to select up to 17 North American universities with accredited

engineering programs to participate in the competitive process for participating in the collegiate

DOE AVTC called EcoCAR 3. EcoCAR 3 seeks to develop the next generation of automotive

engineers, project managers, and communicators by providing them with unparalleled experience

in designing, building, and promoting advanced vehicle technologies. Selected universities will be

challenged to make innovations in many vehicle technology areas to create the next generation of

vehicles that are capable of reducing energy consumption and well-to-wheel (WTW) greenhouse

gas (GHG) emissions and criteria tailpipe emissions while demonstrating the real-world

performance and utility typical of a modern passenger vehicle.

The selected universities will construct and demonstrate vehicles and powertrains that — in

comparison to production gasoline vehicles — will:

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Reduce energy consumption

Reduce WTW GHG emissions

Reduce criteria tailpipe emissions

Maintain consumer acceptability in the areas of performance, utility, and safety

Meet energy and environmental goals, while considering cost and innovation

Since 1989, DOE has been sponsoring AVTCs in partnership with the domestic automotive industry

to (1) stimulate the development and demonstration of advanced powertrain and alternative fuel

technologies and (2) seed the automotive industry with thousands of graduates with hands-on,

real-world experience in advanced vehicle technologies. Argonne National Laboratory, a DOE

research and development (R&D) facility, has administered the DOE AVTC program since its start.

Most recently, EcoCAR 2: Plugging In To The Future (www.ecocar2.org)— a three-year competition

started in 2011 and sponsored by DOE and GM — has given engineering schools an opportunity to

participate in hands-on R&D with leading-edge automotive propulsion systems, fuels, materials,

and emissions-control technologies by re-engineering a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu to minimize

petroleum energy consumption, tailpipe emissions, and GHG emissions while maintaining or

exceeding stock vehicle utility and performance.

DOE is now partnering with GM and others to launch EcoCAR 3, North America’s Premier Collegiate

Automotive Engineering Competition Series. Argonne National Laboratory will retain the

management and operational responsibilities of the EcoCAR 3 competition.

The new four-year competition will build upon the 25-year history of DOE AVTCs by giving

engineering students the chance to design and integrate advanced technology powertrains and

controls into a production light-duty vehicle platform with the goal of minimizing the

environmental impact of personal transportation and thus leading the way to a sustainable

transportation future.

EcoCAR 3 will explore the same technologies that the automotive industry is investigating to

improve energy efficiency and dramatically reduce GHGs while addressing combined GHG and

corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) regulations (see selected references at the end). The only

fuels approved for use in EcoCAR 3 are E10 gasoline, E85 ethanol, B20 biodiesel, and the energy

carrier grid electricity.

Participation in EcoCAR 3 will be determined by this RFP process, which is open to accredited1

engineering schools in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The organizers anticipate selecting up

to 17 schools from North America to participate in EcoCAR 3. Student teams wishing to be

1 Schools must be accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology (ABET) or the

Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) or Council of Accreditation of the Education of

Engineering (CACEI) in Mexico

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considered for participation in the competition must complete a modeling problem, develop and

submit conceptual vehicle designs detailed in this RFP, and demonstrate high levels of support from

their schools. The organizers will then select schools for participation in EcoCAR 3 on the basis of

multiple factors, including the quality of the proposal, available facilities, level of school support,

financial support, technical expertise, related competition vehicle experience, and geographic

diversity. However, teams must submit two documents in order to be eligible for team selection;

the Administrative Proposal (the detailed criteria for the three documents associated with the

Administrative Proposal are included later sections) and the Vehicle Powertrain Modeling Design

Problem Proposal. The requirements for the Vehicle Powertrain Modeling Design Problem Proposal

can be found on www.avtchistory.org.

ECOCAR 3: VISION AND GOALS The overall vision of EcoCAR 3 is to provide an opportunity for college and university students to

participate in hands-on automotive R&D at the leading edge of technology by using contemporary

industry practices. Our detailed vision and technical goals for the competition are listed below.

VISION Demonstrate the potential of advanced technologies and renewable fuels to dramatically

reduce the energy consumption and environmental impact of future vehicles while

balancing consumer appeal.

Develop highly skilled engineers with a strong understanding of advanced vehicle

technologies and development techniques that will prepare them to lead the automotive

industry into the 21st century and enable North America to remain competitive in the

global marketplace.

Provide a hands-on, real-world engineering experience that:

o Fosters practical learning in a safe environment;

o Incorporates the use of math-based tools to improve engineering education;

o Enables participants to develop and refine complex vehicle control and safety

systems by using industry testing/validation processes and methodologies such as

real-time hardware and software in-the-loop tools, design failure mode and effects

analysis (DFMEA), and fault tree analysis (FTA); and

o Better prepares students to work in the domestic automotive and energy industries.

Provide a platform to facilitate systems-level engineering curriculum and instruction in

engineering departments at an elevated level by integrating advanced propulsion

technologies, systems integration techniques, and renewable fuels.

Demonstrate market acceptability of future vehicles with dramatically improved energy

efficiency, reduced petroleum energy use, and low WTW GHG emissions.

Challenge students to weigh all the benefits of their design, such as energy efficiency and consumer features, against the constraint of the cost of implementation.

Incorporate technical innovations in current and future automotive technologies in student-built vehicles to serve as test beds for advanced vehicle technology.

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Encourage women and youth to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, and

mathematics (STEM) fields.

Educate and raise people’s awareness of the benefits of advanced vehicle technologies and

how they reduce the overall impact of transportation on the environment by properly

communicating key messages, educating various audiences, and securing media coverage.

Educate students in key aspects of project management, with particular focus on attaining

Certified Associate Project Manager (CAPM) certification to pursue further project

management careers.

TECHNICAL GOALS The goal is to construct and demonstrate vehicles and powertrains that — in comparison to

production gasoline vehicles — will:

Reduce energy consumption

Reduce WTW GHG emissions

Reduce criteria tailpipe emissions

Maintain consumer acceptability in the areas of performance, utility, and safety

Meet energy and environmental goals, while considering cost and innovation

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

TEAM STRUCTURE AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY EMPHASIS In order to be successful in EcoCAR 3, universities must employ a strong multidisciplinary initiative

both internal and external to the College of Engineering. Teams should recruit students in the areas

of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Software Engineering in

order to best fulfill each aspect of this complex program. In addition to the various areas of

engineering, the EcoCAR 3 competition includes disciplines in Communications and Project

Management. The emphasis on these areas imitates a real-world automotive industry environment

and gives graduates the skills to enter the field, fully prepared for their careers, immediately upon

graduation.

In order to ensure success in EcoCAR 3, teams should establish the following minimum team

leadership roles. We do not require that the students for these roles be identified by the time of

your proposal submission, but the roles are explained below to convey the depth of the program

and the resources required and to reiterate how they are aligned with general industry practices.

Engineering Manager (EM): The Engineering Manager is typically a graduate engineering

student who provides technical expertise and continuity throughout a large portion of the

four-year program. The EM (who could be the proposed funded graduate research assistant

(GRA) described in later sections) is tasked with overseeing all technical subteams in the

areas of Mechanical, Electrical and Computer, and Controls Engineering and overseeing all

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technical aspects of the program. As the lead engineer on the team, the EM should be very

familiar with the team’s overall vehicle and its individual subsystems. If a university cannot

fill this role with a graduate student, it may use an undergraduate student, but it may find it

is at a distinct disadvantage compared to the competing universities. Universities without a

graduate program will be expected to clearly define how they will meet the technical

expertise requirements as well as the student continuity challenges of a four-year

competition series in the proposal submission.

Project Manager (PM): The Project Manager’s role is to provide management and planning

responsibilities for the overall project, so that the team can operate more efficiently and

better align with business and automotive industry practices. The proposed EcoCAR-funded

PM (details on funding are described in later sections) will not only develop the overall

project timeline and work plan but is responsible for tracking and executing all project-level

activities, knowledge transfer, and recruiting and retention activities. The PM will also work

with the rest of the team to manage all the team sponsorship and fundraising activities. It is

recommended that the PM be a graduate-level student to provide consistency between

competition years, from an Engineering Management, Master of Engineering, Industrial

Engineering, MBA, or other relevant technical program. PMs wishing to pursue CAPM

certification would meet the minimum requirements of the certification application in

carrying out this role.

Communications Manager (CM): In an effort to further align with industry practices, EcoCAR

3 includes a Communications component to help educate and raise awareness about the

EcoCAR 3 program and the CM’s team as well as the benefits of advanced vehicle technology

and how it reduces the overall impact of transportation on the environment. Led by a

proposed EcoCAR-funded CM (details on proposed funding are described in later sections),

the team will manage various communications activities, such as planning and executing

local events, obtaining local media coverage, and conducting community and educational

outreach. Special emphasis will be placed on youth outreach and the value of STEM

education. EcoCAR communications students will gain skills in media training, video

production, and leadership. If a proposing university is unable to fill this role with one of its

own students due to the lack of an appropriate Communications degree program, it may

collaborate with a neighboring university to obtain a candidate for this role.

Although each university may structure its team to best fit its individual circumstances, an example

of an organizational structure that includes the roles just described follows here:

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Figure 1: Example Team Organizational Structure

COMPETITION FORMAT GM uses a global vehicle development process (GVDP) for vehicle development. The process begins

with the determination of market opportunities and development of requirements. After significant

research and planning have occurred, the program initiation milestone will be reached, and design,

development, and testing using mathematical models and simulations, decoupled subsystem

development, and physical hardware testing will begin. The GVDP has further milestones that

dictate feature functionality, calibration, and manufacturing process validation of prototype and

integration vehicles until a product that can be sold to a customer results. The GVDP provides GM

with a competitive global process that integrates best practices from all regions and is based on

several fundamentals of vehicle development, including these:

Verified and correlated mathematical models are used as the basis for the vehicle

development program.

Specific subsystem “decoupled development” is employed to reduce risk and remove

uncertainty from program timing.

Virtual and analytical simulations of the product and the process precede any physical

property evaluations.

The use of physical prototypes as the primary method of validation is minimized. There is

strict adherence to the timing and prototype use requirements outlined in the learning

analysis, development, and validation plan.

Product and process development and validation are based on only three physical

prototypes:

o Underbody and subsystem mules,

o Integration vehicle, and

o Manufacturing validation vehicle.

ECOCAR VEHICLE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS (EVDP) The GM GVDP serves as a model for the EcoCAR 3 vehicle development process (EVDP) that

establishes a plan for the R&D, analysis, and validation of the EcoCAR 3 vehicle design. The EVDP is

a basic plan showing how subsystem teams will interact throughout the many stages of the

competition to ensure that the analysis tools are used to complement the hardware phases, not just

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to gain initial design approval. It will put in place a long-term, top-level plan for the four years of the

competition to help ensure that teams do not rush to design conclusions so they can simply get to

work on the physical hardware. In fact, the EVDP will be a tool that stresses the importance of team

members who may never touch a wrench or spin the wheels of the vehicle. The EVDP will not be a

strictly detailed plan for development; rather, it will be a guide that the team will follow to help

ensure that it meets its subsystem deliverable requirements and has a competitive, fully operating

vehicle at the various competitions. Figure 2 below shows an example of the EVDP.

Figure 2: Example EcoCAR Vehicle Development Process (EVDP)

The EVDP will concentrate on advanced technology powertrain development; it will use milestones

and key planning deliverables from the GVDP and add some unique deliverables as well. Although

not specifically not accounted for the in EVDP, vehicle durability and crashworthiness should be

considered in the EcoCAR 2 design. The EVDP allots time and assigns resources to the pre-

hardware and data-acquisition stages of subsystem development, which the teams will use initially

for architecture selection and then continue to use as they progress through the entire competition.

In the pre-hardware stage of EcoCAR 3 vehicle development, the teams will set up processes for

hardware selection and for hardware instrumentation once it has been received. The EVDP will

demonstrate the team’s commitment and understanding of the plan as evidenced by the team’s

prompt and well-executed completion of deliverables prior to the competition dates.

FOUR-YEAR OVERVIEW OF ECOCAR 3

The first year of the EVDP is an essential foundation for establishing a successful design. Year One

of the competition series will emphasize vehicle design through:

Using vehicle modeling and simulation tools;

Establishing vehicle performance targets through vehicle technical specifications (VTS),

using engineering analysis and simulation;

Using computer-aided design (CAD) tools to select and size components;

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Developing vehicle control and safety systems by using industry testing/validation

processes and methodologies, such as real-time hardware and software in-the-loop tools,

DFMEA, and FTA;

Using rapid control prototyping in conjunction with model-based design (MBD) to quickly

turn ideas into proofs of concept;

Using simulation data, CAD, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and structural analysis

tools; and

Conducting powertrain component bench testing;

These first-year activities will prepare schools for the vehicle development and refinement tasks in

subsequent years of the competition as well as form the basis for the Year One competition. A

competition event at the end of academic Year One will bring all student teams together to assess

each team’s design process, component selection, and vehicle configuration. Approximately

$100,000 in industry-funded awards will be presented at each annual competition. During Years

Two through Four of EcoCAR 3, teams will perform the following tasks:

The powertrain components and controllers obtained by the school and the

communications protocols developed by each team in the first year will be safely integrated

into the team’s vehicle.

Students will build the vehicle that was designed through their modeling efforts in Year

One, and they will continue to refine their simulation, testing, and hardware control efforts

while improving the vehicle’s efficiency and functionality.

Students will be continuously improve the operation of their vehicles and refine and

validate the vehicle simulation models with test data from the vehicles they have built.

Students will compete in dynamic events, including an over-the-road event in Year Four.

In Years Two through Four, EcoCAR 3 teams and their vehicles will be brought together in the May–

June timeframe of those respective years for competitions consisting of a series of rigorous events

(see Table 1) to measure the safety, performance, design, reliability, and utility of the vehicles.

During each year of the competition, vehicles and powertrains will undergo strict safety inspections

and dynamic qualifying events to ensure that they meet EcoCAR vehicle safety requirements. Teams

will garner points in each of these events; the team that scores the most points will win that year’s

EcoCAR 3 competition.

Table 1: Sample Competition Events

Events Description (Measurements)

Vehicle Performance Acceleration, handling, braking

Tank-to-Wheels Energy

Efficiency

On-road driving and dynamometer testing

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Petroleum Energy Usage On-road driving and dynamometer testing

WTW Emissions GHG and criteria pollutant emissions control

Written Report 20-page technical report

Oral Presentations 30-minute formal oral design presentations

Vehicle Design Process Review Vehicle inspection and design review

Consumer Appeal Consumer acceptability review and static vehicle utility

Outreach Outreach activities review, website, and presentation

Inspections Mid-year deliverables, inspections, progress reports

VEHICLE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS (VTS) To encourage teams to produce vehicles exhibiting both fuel economy and utility, EcoCAR 3

competition requirements will be defined. These are technical specifications that each vehicle is

expected to meet. These requirements are the lowest desired level of performance; to produce well-

rounded vehicles, teams should design their vehicles to meet all of them. A team selects its VTS by

taking into account competition requirements and targets as well as its own design goals. The

actual powertrain selection process will occur after the competition has begun and will be

influenced by the final performance targets and available sponsored component support.

VEHICLE TECHNOLOGIES SUPPORTED EcoCAR 3 is a unique competition employing renewable fuels and advanced vehicle technologies.

All vehicles will be required to meet a minimum driving range. Teams may propose any powertrain

configuration in the EcoCAR 3 competition series during the formal powertrain selection process in

Year One.

FUELS AND ENERGY CARRIERS SUPPORTED The allowable fuels for EcoCAR 3 are limited to those with renewable content: E10 (90% gasoline

and 10% denatured ethanol), E85 (85% denatured ethanol and 15% gasoline), B20 (80% ultra-

low-sulfur diesel and 20% biodiesel), and the energy carrier electricity. Any of the designs

proposed can employ electricity generated on board or from the grid. However, the grid electric

energy used will be counted in the WTW petroleum, energy, and GHG emission impacts for

assessing and scoring the vehicles. The following restrictions apply to the EcoCAR 3 competition:

The use of any fuel additives that change the chemistry or energy content of the fuels will

not be allowed.

The use of a consumable liquid without utilizing its energy content for propulsion (such as

urea for exhaust emissions control) will be allowed only with prior notification of and

approval from the organizers.

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Descriptions of nonstandard or exotic energy-storage devices or energy converters must be

specified in proposals, and a rationale for their use provided as well.

GREENHOUSE GAS, REGULATED EMISSIONS, AND ENERGY IN TRANSPORTATION (GREET)

MODEL EcoCAR 3 competition participants will use a WTW analysis to determine the energy consumption

and emissions production for both GHG and criteria pollutants associated with their competition

vehicles. This fuel-cycle analysis, completed with the GREET model, will quantify the amount of

energy consumed and emissions generated from the following steps in the fuel cycle:

Collection of fuel feedstock,

Processing of the feedstock into a vehicle fuel,

Transportation of both fuel and feedstock, and

Final consumption of the fuel.

GREET has developed a path for individual fuels that defines the energy consumption and

emissions associated with the WTW analysis. EcoCAR 3 will use the assumptions provided in

GREET for the paths associated with the competition fuels. For more information regarding GREET,

see http://greet.es.anl.gov/.

BALANCING ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND COST EcoCAR 3 teams are required to address key aspects of their designs versus the constraint of cost.

As advanced technologies penetrate into the light-duty vehicle market, in order to maintain a

portfolio of vehicles that appeal to customers, the additional cost associated with these

technologies must be addressed. Therefore, in their powertrain selection process, teams will be

required to consider the additional upfront and running costs to the customer of advanced

technology components and systems that will be added to the base vehicle. Throughout all

subsequent years of the competition, cost will be accounted for based on vehicle performance in

several key dynamic events. In short, EcoCAR 3 engineering students will consider cost as an

additional constraint as they select and execute the powertrain they will use for all years of the

competition series. This inclusion of cost into the design problem mimics that of an engineering

team working at a real-world original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

In addition to cost, EcoCAR 3 will also emphasize automotive innovation throughout all four years

of the competition. Teams will be required to choose at least one innovation topic to integrate into

their competition vehicle. Teams are free to propose any topic related to vehicle technologies as a

subject for R&D and application as a new and innovate technology to their EcoCAR 3 student-built

vehicle. A significant portion of the total competition points will be allotted for innovation, which

means that innovation may have an impact on multiple areas of the competition. Once the

innovation topic is selected, teams will be required to create and follow an R&D plan that fits into

the overall EVDP, aimed at bringing the selected technology to a functional state in the vehicle by

the end of the third year of the competition, at the latest. It is highly recommended that teams focus

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on auxiliary and/or supervisory control systems so that a failure in the innovative technology will

not prevent a student-built vehicle from running events at the year-end competitions.

SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT IN ECOCAR 3 Building and operating a safe vehicle is of paramount importance when competing in EcoCAR 3.

Vehicles that do not pass periodic rigorous safety inspections or are deemed unsafe will not be

allowed to participate in the competition. Teams will not be permitted to make any modifications to

their vehicles that would compromise safety or crashworthiness. Teams wishing to make

modifications to the vehicle that could affect the safety or crashworthiness of the vehicle will be

required to submit an analysis that proves the modification meets competition requirements to

designated subject matter experts (SMEs). All participants must adhere to stringent requirements

to ensure the safety of added subsystems (such as high-voltage traction batteries). Participating

schools must develop and submit safety plans for their EcoCAR 3 efforts, and the plans must include

processes and procedures for safe operations in their facilities. These plans must have defined

training and certification procedures (approved by the administration) for all equipment that will

be used or worked on during the course of the project, including but not limited to subjects such as

high-voltage electrical safety, machine shop, welding, and vehicle hoist operations. Participants

must have a working knowledge of the proper use of appropriate personal protective equipment

whenever they perform work on EcoCAR 3 vehicles at the schools and at all EcoCAR 3 events.

SUPPORT FOR TEAMS ACCEPTED INTO ECOCAR 3

SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE COMPETITION Over the duration of the EcoCAR 3 competition series, GM will supply each team with seed money

in the amount of $20,000 plus an additional $10,000 in program initiation funding for teams who

were not previously included in the EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future or EcoCAR: The NeXt

Challenge series. GM will also provide a variety of powertrain components and other production

parts, a light-duty production vehicle, proprietary vehicle data, extensive technical support,

mentoring and potentially funding to support an ECE graduate student. Teams will also receive

significant travel allotments and vehicle shipping support from GM and other sponsors to

participate in the annual end-of-the-year competition as well as two to three annual workshops. We

expect other sponsors to also provide extensice software donations, powertrain components, tools,

controllers, HIL simulators, etc.

In EcoCAR 2, the previous competition series, sponsors provided more than $940M of in-kind and

cash support to the 15 participating universities, for an average of $63M per team. This included

approximately an average of $185,000 in cash per team; comprised of seed money, GRA funding,

outreach grants, and travel allotments. Teams were also provided with an average of $275,000

each in donated hardware such as the competition vehicle, engines, transmissions and production

parts, electric traction drive systems, ESSs, tools, HIL simulators, controllers, chargers, etc.

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Extensive cutting-edge software donations were also provided from a range of industry sponsors,

averaging approximately $62M per team. These included software tools for a wide range of

engineering activities:

Vehicle Simulation - MATLAB, Simulink and other MathWorks toolsets, Autonomie, dSPACE

Automotive Simulation Models, and dSPACE HIL;

Mechanical Design - Siemens PLM NX and CD-Adapco STAR CCM+;

Vehicle Systems Development - Vector CANoe and CANalyzer, and more.

Also, participating teams were typically successful in leveraging support from competition-level

sponsors into additional state and local support and sponsorships for their programs.

Subject to the availability of funds, EcoCAR expects to provide each university with about $20,000

in annual funding for a full-time Engineering GRA, an amount that must be matched by the

university. We understand GRA rates at different universities may vary. In some cases, the $20,000

provided funding may not cover a university’s costs associated with one full-time Engineering GRA.

We expect that any additional costs to ensure that the Engineering GRA is full time will be supplied

by the university (see GRA matching requirements below). In other cases, the provided funding

may cover most of the expenses for two GRAs, with the university providing tuition and other fees.

As long as the effort from a minimum of one full-time, dedicated EcoCAR GRA is enabled, the

program’s minimum requirements will be met. The university will be expected to explain how it

met the requirements in the proposal it submits.

The role of the Engineering GRAs should be to support key technology development and explore

complex engineering challenges, such as powertrain integration, controls/HIL, and/or energy

storage system (ESS) integration throughout the EcoCAR 3 program. These Engineering GRAs must

also provide technical team leadership and maintain continuity within the team over an extended

portion of the four-year program.

Additional details about the EcoCAR 3 GRA funding will be provided after teams are accepted.

Subject to the availability of funds, EcoCAR may also provide the following:

Funding (about $20,000 annually) for a second competition-funded Engineering GRA to

support the team’s computer science/software engineering/electrical and computer

engineering (ECE) activities, particularly in innovation topics that will be a hallmark of the

EcoCAR 3 competition series. If this funding is made available to EcoCAR 3 teams, the

university would not be expected to provide matching support. However, if the provided

funding does not cover the full cost of the ECE GRA, the university would be expected to pay

the difference.

Funding (about $10,000–20,000 annually) to support a part-time Communications student

to serve as the team’s CM. Typically these students are undergraduate- or graduate-level

Communications or MBA students.

Funding (about $10,000–20,000 annually) to support a full-time PM for the team. The most

successful candidate for this position would be a graduate-level student from the field of

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Engineering Management, Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or another technically

relevant field or an MBA student with an Engineering undergraduate degree who wishes to

pursue a career in technical project management.

Powertrain components expected to be provided by GM to the teams include a limited range of

GM’s production gasoline and diesel engines, GM-developed automatic transmissions, and other

components from GM vehicles currently in production. EcoCAR 3 also expects to offer teams a

range of ESS solutions. However, not all of the components required to implement a team’s

powertrain design will be provided through the competition sponsors. Teams should plan to

purchase or solicit donations for some powertrain components and/or parts. Teams are also not

required to use any components offered (other than the production GM-donated vehicle). More

information on EcoCAR 3 components will be available at the start of the competition.

In addition to these specialized components, EcoCAR 3 plans to offer each school up to $5,000/year

worth of “GM Blue Dollars” that can be used to obtain GM production North American service parts

required in support of its designs. In the past, many other AVTC sponsors offered no-cost or low-

cost parts, controllers, and components to participating schools, greatly leveraging the ability of

those schools to develop and implement the complex systems and subsystems required for the

competition. We expect to build on and expand that heritage of sponsorship for EcoCAR 3.

Because there is a heavy emphasis on math-based design and simulation in EcoCAR 3, the

organizers have joined with industry leaders to provide HIL and rapid prototyping hardware and

mathematical modeling and simulation tools. For example, MathWorks will provide each team with

its MATLAB and Simulink software, which work in concert with the hardware provided by other

sponsors. Industry partners will also provide hands-on training throughout the four-year program,

as well as technical mentors for the student teams to help the teams use MATLAB and Simulink in

their designs.

A significant amount of information about the vehicle to be donated to each school will be provided

on a confidential basis, thereby enabling the teams to perform detailed component location

packaging and structural analyses of vehicle modifications. Teams will be required to sign a

nondisclosure agreement (NDA) with GM, and the donated competition vehicles will be supplied

with a State of Michigan salvage title. The organizers will establish a review and approval process

for vehicle modifications to ensure safe operation during competition events and on public roads.

EcoCAR 3 teams will also be assigned a GM engineer as a team mentor. Each GM mentor will be a

knowledgeable automotive engineer with years of industry experience and will function as a

resource to help guide the team through the vehicle design and integration process. The GM mentor

will also serve as a team liaison to GM and the other competition organizers throughout the

competition. In addition, SMEs will be available to participating teams through technical workshops

and when specific issues arise.

SUPPORT PROVIDED BY UNIVERSITIES

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EcoCAR 3 teams will be required to travel to workshops and competitions during each academic

year. Typically this requirement involves three workshops and one end-of-the-academic-year

competition (roughly 5 to 7 days) in Year One. In subsequent years, there are typically two

workshops and one end-of-the-academic-year competition (roughly 10 or 11 days). Universities

will be expected to make arrangements to ensure that students who travel with the teams are not

penalized for their absence from campus/classes.

MATCHING SEED MONEY Universities are required to match the $20,000 seed money with university cash contributions.

Seed money will be provided at the beginning of the first year, and the university must match this

with cash to the team by Year Two of the four-year program. Universities that receive the additional

$10,000 in project initiation funding because they were new to the AVTC Program (because they

had not participated in EcoCAR 2: Plugging In To The Future or EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge) will not

be expected to match this additional $10,000 in funding.

MATCHING ENGINEERING GRA FUNDING As explained previously, each university is also expected to match the annual funding of

approximately $20,000 provided by EcoCAR to fund a minimum of one full-time Engineering GRA.

We understand that the $20,000 of funding provided may not cover a university’s costs that would

be associated with one full-time Engineering GRA. However, the money for any additional costs

required to ensure that there is a minimum of one full-time Engineering GRA is expected to be

supplied by the university. Each team will need to outline how it intends to meet the matching GRA

funding in its proposal, which typically includes matching the provided GRA funding for a second

Engineering GRA as well. Some universities provide the matching GRA funds as a second

Engineering GRA, while others provide tuition and fees for the Engineering GRA and use the

EcoCAR funding for the GRA’s stipend. You will be asked to specify how your matching funds will be

committed in your proposal; at a minimum, one full-time Engineering GRA will be required on each

team.

Funding (about $20,000 annually) for a second EcoCAR 3-funded Engineering GRA may also be

made available to support the team’s computer science/software engineering/ECE activities,

particularly in the innovation topics that will be a hallmark of the EcoCAR 3 competition series. If

this funding is made available to EcoCAR 3 teams, the university would not be expected to provide

matching support. However, if the provided funding does not cover the full cost of the ECE GRA, the

university would be expected to pay the difference.

Additional details about EcoCAR 3 GRA funding will be provided after the teams are selected.

FACULTY SUPPORT Universities will also be required to secure faculty release time for two faculty advisors (equal to at

least one class per semester). A minimum of one faculty advisor from Mechanical Engineering or

ECE is required to support each team and oversee the Engineering GRA(s). Teams are highly

encouraged to provide at least one additional faculty advisor, particularly if the second electrical

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engineering/computer science/ECE GRA is funded. Both advisors are highly recommended due to

the technical scope and responsibilities of the program.

Faculty support and student participation from the School of Communications will also be essential,

because EcoCAR teams are expected to develop and implement a comprehensive communications

program. In addition, an advisor in the Engineering Management or MBA Program will be helpful

due to the emphasis on project management in the upcoming series.

Universities will be required in the proposal to present a plan for ensuring multidisciplinary

support for EcoCAR 3, from students and from participating faculty. This will be an essential part of

the team’s success in EcoCAR 3.

COURSE CREDIT Universities will also be required to provide a mechanism for students to receive class credit for

participating in EcoCAR 3. They will be expected to show verification that some participating

students are receiving course credit each semester.

Most successful universities have offered prior AVTCs as a senior design course and offered

technical electives for additional course credit for those involved in multiple years of the program.

These teams also have after-hours clubs/teams that provide additional time and structure to

support their program. However, teams that intend to operate in EcoCAR 3 strictly as a club (not-

for-credit activity) will not be eligible for participation due to the complexity of the program and

the need for consistent student participation throughout the four years. The specific mechanism(s)

that universities intend to use to award credit need to be explained in detail in the proposal and will

be evaluated.

FACILITIES

Universities are required to provide a significant number of facilities on campus for their EcoCAR 3

team to ensure their success in the program. These facilities must include garage space with a

vehicle lift and work area, access to a machine shop with fabrication capabilities, and access to a

computer lab with simulation and CAD capabilities. Universities also benefit from an electronics lab,

vehicle and engine dynamometer and test facilities, etc. All facilities must have appropriate safety

equipment for the work performed in each area. Teams will be required to show the safety

requirements for their work sites and keep that documentation up to date during the competition.

While many teams will not necessarily have all of these capabilities before they are accepted into

the competition, they will be required to have secured computer and simulation facilities, as well as

student offices, by September 1, 2014. Teams must also have the appropriate facilities to safely and

adequately integrate, test, and refine their advanced technology vehicles by January 1, 2015, and

they will be expected to explain in the proposal how they will be able to secure these facilities

within the required timeframe.

Signed letters of support from the Dean of Engineering or a senior University Administrator are

required with each proposal (see requirements that follow). If accepted into EcoCAR 3, each school

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will be required to sign an annual “good faith agreement” (GFA) by September 15 of each academic

year, which will reaffirm the university’s full support of the team and explicitly state its willingness

to participate in all EcoCAR 3 activities, with at least one faculty advisor in attendance at all

competition workshops and events.

ECOCAR 3 PROPOSALS Each school wishing to be considered for acceptance into EcoCAR 3 must prepare and submit a

proposal that conforms to the outline that follows. EcoCAR 3 proposals are to be written primarily

by the students, with faculty advisor guidance. Each proposal must be signed by all student authors

and indicate their expected graduation dates and faculty advisor(s). Important considerations in

the selection process include the extent of school support provided, the multidisciplinary focus of

the team’s organizational structure, the commitment and backgrounds of the faculty advisors, the

number of facilities available to the proposing team, and the documented experience and expertise

of the team in areas applicable to the vehicle’s design.

Participants in this competition become collaborators with the organizers and other teams in a

multi-million-dollar, four-year program to design and build the vehicles of tomorrow. A significant

factor in the success of schools in prior competitions has been the team’s desire to take advantage

of all the opportunities offered in the competition. Knowledge, capability, facilities, and experience

are necessary but not sufficient for success in EcoCAR 3. The commitment of the school, faculty, and

students and the focus on multidisciplinary collaboration are essential to success. The following

description outlines the required components for the EcoCAR 3 proposal.

For reference, the competition organizers have made a set of self-paced educational resources

available to the general public. These resources provide a foundation for modeling basic energy

consumption, energy storage systems (ESSs), and hybrid supervisory controls. They can be found

at www.avtchistory.org.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION CONTENT The EcoCAR 3 proposal process is broken down into three documents: the Administrative Proposal,

the Dean of Engineering’s letter, and the Vehicle Powertrain Modeling and Design Problem Proposal

submission. The requirements for the Vehicle Powertrain Modeling and Design Problem portion of

the proposal can be found in a separate document. EcoCAR 3 proposals will be reviewed by a team

of organizers and sponsors who have the appropriate technical background and experience. Each

proposal will be independently evaluated by at least four reviewers according to its content.

ADMINISTRATIVE PROPOSAL CONTENT Universities are to use this outline for writing their EcoCAR 3 Administrative Proposal. Each

Administrative Proposal must include responses to all of the topics below. Note that this is the

university’s chance to demonstrate that it has the knowledge, experience, facilities, and desire and

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that it will provide the support to compete in the premier collegiate automotive engineering

competition in North America.

A. Abstract: In 500 words or less, describe why your team should receive an invitation to

participate in EcoCAR 3. Include the overall rationale for your school’s participation in

EcoCAR 3, including the goals and objectives of the Engineering School and how these goals

and objectives will be met.

B. Multidisciplinary Focus: Please summarize how your university will specifically enable

multidisciplinary collaboration across departments within the College of Engineering as

well as in the School of Business, School of Communications, or others.

a. Engineering

i. Provide the expected multidisciplinary engineering plan for your team.

Include how the faculty and students from these departments will

communicate, work together, and provide resources to support systems-

level engineering.

ii. Highlight any existing key collaborations within the College of Engineering

that will improve your team’s chances of success.

b. Project Management

i. Describe how you expect your team will fulfill the student project

management role for an extended portion of the competition.

ii. Describe the department, club, or organization from which the student

Project Manager will come (Engineering Management, Mechanical

Engineering, etc.) and what resources will be available to support the

students’ activities.

iii. Describe your plan for sponsorship development and how you would

accomplish the goal of identifying, confirming, and maintaining these

sponsors during the complex four-year program.

iv. Highlight any key collaborations with local, regional, and/or state

organizations that may enhance your team's sponsor development activities.

c. Communications Manager

i. Describe how you expect your team will fulfill the communications

management role for the competition.

ii. Describe the department, club, or organization from which the

Communications Manager will come (Public Relations, Journalism,

Communications, Business, etc.) and what resources will be available to

support the students’ activities.

C. Curriculum and University Support: Describe the following content. If you cannot meet

any portion of the minimum requirements stated in this section, please describe in detail

what you can do to still be successful in the program.

a. Curriculum

i. Integration into Existing Curriculum: Explain how the EcoCAR 3 competition

will be integrated into existing and/or planned courses.

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ii. Systems-Level Automotive Engineering Curriculum: Include a summary table

of any classes available to students that include automotive-engineering-

related content in addition to the required undergraduate engineering

classes. Include advanced vehicle propulsion systems and vehicle

technology, as well as control and mechatronics classes, at a minimum.

iii. Areas of Note: If your school has special institutes or relevant areas of

excellence, describe how they will be used to support the EcoCAR 3

program.

b. Academic Credit: Describe the mechanism that your university will provide for

students to earn academic credit for working on the program, including students

from multiple departments.

c. Faculty Plan

i. Identify the specific faculty advisors who will support the EcoCAR 3 team

and describe their qualifications and the specific roles they will serve over

the four-year program. Describe any relevant experience or backgrounds of

the advisors that will enable them to provide information on and share

knowledge of automotive systems and to mentor to the team.

ii. Explain each advisor’s course load and explain planned funded research

commitments during the duration of EcoCAR 3.

iii. Describe how the university will release a minimum of one faculty advisor

from one 3-hour course to execute his or her EcoCAR responsibilities. We

have found that for a university to be competitive, the lead faculty advisor, at

the least, will need a minimum of one course reduction plus one EcoCAR

course that he or she will teach.

d. Team Personnel Plan

i. Recruiting and Retention: Discuss how your school will recruit and retain the

necessary team members from the engineering, business, and

communications disciplines.

ii. Graduate Student and Assistantship Support: If there is no graduate program

at your school, explain how you would propose to use the equivalent

support for undergraduate education at your school for each of the items

here.

1. Use of Graduate Student Support

a. Describe how your University will provide funding for the

required matched Engineering GRA.

b. Describe the roles and responsibilities of the funded

Engineering GRA, matched Engineering GRA, and ECE GRA if

support will be provided.

c. Describe any anticipated matching support from the

university beyond the required matched Engineering GRA, or

any dedicated graduate student support funded by an

outside sponsor.

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2. Use of Project Management and Communications Management

Support

a. Describe how your university will use the intended EcoCAR

funding for the required PM and CM.

b. Describe the roles and responsibilities of the funded CM and

PM students, subject to the availability of funds, and the

support that may be provided for these roles.

c. Describe any anticipated matching support from the

university or any dedicated student support funded by an

outside sponsor.

iii. Leadership Succession: As team members and student leaders move on

throughout the EcoCAR 3 series, planning and executing a successful

knowledge transfer plan will be very important. Therefore, teams must

have a progression and succession plan for team leadership (in

engineering, project management, and communications) and include it in

this section. For example, will there be any overlap between current and

future leadership roles? How is the team planning to train its current

students to assume leadership roles in the future? The proposal should

address how your team will ensure continuity over the four-year

competition.

D. Team Facilities, Resources, and Experience

a. University Experience: Provide a table describing your school’s experience in

conducting other major vehicle or engineering research or projects, covering team

or faculty members who participated in any previous DOE AVTCs, the Society of

Automotive Engineers (SAE) collegiate design competition series, or other vehicle

competitions. If your University does compete in additional vehicle competitions,

explain how resources will be allocated to properly support EcoCAR 3.

b. Team Organization and Duties: Describe how team members will be organized and

managed. Include an explanation of your basic team structure (EM, PM, CM,

development officer, etc.).

c. Required Facilities: Include a table showing the facilities available at the college or

university that could be used to accomplish the goals of EcoCAR 3, using the

template that follows.

Facility Summary

Description Picture

Date Available

On Campus? Yes or No

Hours of EcoCAR 3

Student Access

Shared or Dedicated

Secured simulation and computing laboratory

Secured garage with hoist

EcoCAR office

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space Machine shop and fabrication facilities

Secured high-voltage work area

d. Additional Facilities: Include a table of any special features or facilities at your

university that would enable the team to work more effectively, such as vehicle lifts,

dynamometers, CAD lab, etc., using the template that follows (facilities listed here

are examples):

Facility Summary

Description Picture

Date Available

On Campus?

Hours of EcoCAR 3

Student Access

Shared or Dedicated

Engine dynamometer

Test track Chassis dynamometer

High-voltage test area

e. Safety Processes

i. Team Operations: Describe how safety will be built into the school’s plans

and procedures throughout the competition. Provide an overview of how the

university plans to develop the required safety plan(s) for on- and off-

campus EcoCAR 3 activities. Be sure to include current machine shop,

welding, vehicle hoist, and high-voltage electrical safety training and

certification procedures if they exist. Provide a summary of the existing

procedures in the proposal, and include the actual procedures in the

appendix.

ii. Vehicle Design: Include an explanation of the current infrastructure setup for

students to learn and implement advanced analytical techniques to justify

their designs. This can include structural designs or modifications requiring

finite element analysis (FEA) and nonstructural designs requiring CFD, high-

/low-voltage circuit analysis, and/or thermal analysis for mechanical and

electrical systems.

iii. Facilities and Protocol: Identify who is responsible for defining and enforcing

laboratory safety practices relative to the testing of mechanical systems,

23

high-voltage electrical systems, and liquid hydrocarbon fuels per applicable

local fire standards and college or university procedures.

E. Fundraising and Outside Relationships

a. Budget Planning: Provide an estimated four-year budget outline needed to support

successful participation in EcoCAR 3. Elements to consider include funding for

vehicle parts, subsystems, and components; tools and safety equipment; fabrication

and finishing; possible testing fees; team travel not provided by the organizers (to

workshops, competition events); trade show and sponsorship materials; and

community outreach.

b. Fundraising Plan: Document any commitment of support from your university

and/or partnerships with outside sponsors. Provide a plan for acquiring additional

contributions (product donations, cash, technical support, etc.), and highlight any

successful examples of fundraising plans from a previous program. Include letters of

support from potential or confirmed sponsors, if possible.

c. Outside Relationships: Describe current partnerships with automotive

manufacturers and suppliers in the field/market of advanced vehicle technology, as

well as other government and private organizations that may give the team

additional resources, expertise, and/or visibility.

F. Summary and Discretionary Factors

a. Include here any other considerations that would demonstrate that your school is

capable and committed to success in the EcoCAR 3 competition.

b. Include also whatever you can tell us that will convince us that your school has what

it takes to be a successful EcoCAR 3 participant.

G. Appendix (as needed)

ADMINISTRATIVE PROPOSAL CONSIDERATIONS The Administrative Proposal is limited to 20 pages total, including all diagrams, attachments, and

appendices and excluding the cover page, table of contents, and letters from government entities or

private-sector organizations. Proposals must be written in English. The page size must be 8.5 × 11

inches, and the font size must be 12 point. Margins must be at least 1 inch. Proposals must be

written by students and must be signed by all authors and the faculty advisor(s).

DEAN OF ENGINEERING LETTER CONTENT Each university must also include a letter signed by its Dean of Engineering or another senior

university administrator, agreeing to meet the following minimum requirements as described in

the above section titled Support Provided By Universities:

Mechanism for course credit

Faculty release time

Garage facility

Matching seed money

Matching Engineering GRA funding

Commitment to multidisciplinary support

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SUBMISSION CRITERIA Only one proposal per school will be considered. An electronic PDF version of the Administrative

Proposal, the Dean of Engineering’s letter, and the Vehicle Powertrain Modeling and Design

Problem Proposal submission must be emailed as three single files to ecocar3@anl.gov no later

than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (U.S.) on December 9, 2013. Teams are to attach the three

documents to the email using the following naming convention:

Administrative Proposal: UniversityName_EC3AdminProposal.pdf

Dean of Engineering letter: UniversityName_EC3DeanLetter.pdf

Vehicle Powertrain Modeling and Design Problem Proposal:

UniversityName_EC3ModelingProposal.pdf

Teams are also required to include their university’s name as the subject line and to include the

name of the person who is submitting the proposal, along with his or her, title, email address, and

phone number, in the body of the email. The PDF version of the proposal must be able to be viewed

and printed correctly; the organizers take no responsibility for, and will make no efforts to correct

errors in, the proposal or its PDF form. If any uploaded proposal contains PDF errors that will not

allow it to be viewed and/or printed properly, it will be returned to the school and not be reviewed.

IMPORTANT: Submissions not conforming to all the requirements of this solicitation may result in

rejection of the proposal. Argonne National Laboratory is not responsible for any costs associated

with the preparation or submission of a proposal. Argonne National Laboratory assumes no

liability for disclosure or use of any proposals for any purpose. Argonne National Laboratory

reserves the right to select or reject any or all proposals. Argonne National Laboratory reserves the

right to amend the RFP as it may consider appropriate to meet the goals of EcoCAR 3. Any potential

funding associated with selection for EcoCAR 3 is subject to availability of funding from the

Government and/or potential Sponsors.

EVALUATION CRITERIA The proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the content in each of the six key sections of the

proposal listed below. Each section will be weighted as shown below:

Vehicle Powertrain Modeling and Design Problem Proposal submission (35%)

Administrative Proposal submission (65%)

1. Multidisciplinary focus (10%)

2. Curriculum and university support (20%)

3. Team facilities, resources, and experience (20%)

4. Financial planning (5%)

5. Outside relationships (5%)

6. Summary and discretionary factors (5%)

NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION

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Schools submitting a proposal will be notified whether they will be accepted into EcoCAR 3 in

March 2014. The university administration, Dean of Engineering, and faculty advisor(s) of accepted

schools will receive an official acceptance letter. EcoCAR 3 organizers will also contact the lead

faculty advisor of each accepted school to review program details. Selected schools will also receive

an invitation to the virtual announcement of the participating teams and the EcoCAR 3 Launch

Workshop in April 2014. News about the EcoCAR 3 schools selected will be strictly embargoed until

then.

ECOCAR 3 SCHEDULE Table 2 lists the dates for EcoCAR 3 competition milestones.

Table 2: EcoCAR 3 Competition Milestones

Date* Milestone May 2013 RFP released August 2013 Email notification about upcoming Tech Talk September 2013 Tech Talk with AVTC organizers December 9, 2013 Proposals DUE March 2014 Teams notified of selection April 2014 Team selection announcement at SAE Congress April 2014 MANDATORY Launch Workshop, location TBD Fall 2014 Kick-off Workshop

*The competition organizers reserve the right to make changes to these dates.

Questions Concerning the RFP and EcoCAR 3: General questions should be sent to avtc@anl.gov .

WEB REFERENCES EPA Light-Duty Vehicle GHG Standards

http://www.epa.gov/oms/climate/regulations.htm

EPA and NHTSA Propose Historic National Program to Reduce Greenhouse Gases and Improve Fuel

Economy for Cars and Trucks

http://www.epa.gov/oms/climate/regulations/420f09047.htm

EPA Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/index.htm

26

NHTSA CAFE Fuel Economy and GHG Emissions Standards

http://www.nhtsa.gov/fuel-economy

Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) Model

http://greet.es.anl.gov/

The Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition Program

is managed by Argonne National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy.

www.transportation.anl.gov/competitions