Alabama students participate in green muscle car challenge

The University of Alabama EcoCAR 3 team has completed preparations and is set to give a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro a green makeover as part of a Department of Energy clean energy innovation challenge.

Sixteen university teams around the nation are competing to outfit Camaro muscle cars with advanced technologies to give them major energy efficiency without cutting down on the sports car speed or performance.

“Our team has been planning for over a year now, working together to establish a solid foundation for our specific vehicle development program as if this was an actual effort to bring our vision for the Camaro to market,” graduate student Brittany Galloway, who acts as the student team’s communications manager, said. “The team is thrilled to finally be working with the actual vehicle and excited to start bringing the design work to life.” 

The University of Alabama team has spent 18 months developing the innovative modifications they plan to apply to the car. The team received the Camaro -- donated by General Motors -- after the fall semester and has worked on the modifications at the university’s Electromechanical Systems and Engines and Combustion Labs.