Although the team had some difficulties, they were not enough to keep Universite Laval’s prototype Alérion from winning for the third consecutive year.  The team, which consists of fifteen students in science and engineering are now looking towards Europe’s Eco-marathon.

Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, ICL Co. Ltd, and Nippon Fruehauf Co. Ltd have created a system that cools stationary trucks with energy stored in storage batteries while driving.  Recently, the companies added solar cells to the system to keep the storage batteries topped off for use at night.

Ford is touting the upcoming 2011 Explorer as a “reinvented SUV.”  Apparently the company expects that the new model will be the fuel economy leader for midsize SUVs and will be 85 percent recyclable when its time to finally send the vehicle to the junk yard – all that while using recycled and renewable materials.

The Progressive Automotive x-Prize will award $10 million in prizes to the winners of three car categories: Mainstream, Alternate Class- Tandem, and Alternate Class-Side by Side.  One hundred and thirty-six cars representing one hundred and eleven teams began the competition.  Now after almost a year, two of those classes have been narrowed down to just one team each with two cars.  The Edison2 team is the winner of the Mainstream Class and the X-Tracer is the winner of the Tandem Class.  The Side by Side Class is yet to be narrowed down to the final three.

Current advances in internal combustion(IC) engine technology should improve fuel efficiency while reducing the size of IC engines.  Improved fuel efficiency and reduced size will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and hopefully reform the negative opinion many hold of the IC engine.