For this year's competition, the team is refining the same Chevrolet Silverado pickup used in last year's competition. They have been concentrating on designing and fabricating the cold-start system, lowering emissions, improving acceleration and fuel economy, and refining their written technical report. The team captain is Gary Nichols, a senior mechanical engineering major. The UCR truck was shipped to the competition site early this week. Team members will leave for the competition on Thursday, May 11.
Ethanol is made from domestic agricultural crops, including corn.
The U.S. Department of Energy, Natural Resources Canada, General Motors Corporation and GM Canada are among the sponsors for the 2000 competition. Among the other universities competing are the University of Texas, Austin, University of Alberta, University of Kansas and Idaho State University.