ETHANOL VEHICLE CHALLENGE WINNER AT CHICAGO AUTOSHOW

Visitors to the Chicago Auto Show will be able to check out the winning entry in the 1999 Ethanol Vehicle Challenge, a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck redesigned by a team of engineering students from the University of Illinois at Chicago. The pickup truck will be on display Feb. 11 - 20 at booth A36, near the center of the main floor.

A team of students from UIC's Society of Automotive Engineers remade the truck to run solely on E-85, an 85 percent ethanol blend, creating a vehicle with improved fuel economy and exhaust emissions that retains the driveability, performance and consumer appeal of a conventional gasoline vehicle. Their entry won the 1999 Ethanol Vehicle Challenge last May, demonstrating their engineering prowess and the commercial promise of ethanol, a corn-based fuel.

Sixteen colleges and universities competed in the contest, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Natural Resources Canada and General Motors. The UIC team won first place overall, first place in fuel economy, best flame-arrestor design, and tied for first place in emissions with the University of Texas at El Paso and Wayne State University.

Government and the automotive industry are interested in ethanol because it is inherently cleaner burning and has the potential to reduce American dependence on foreign oil. The UIC truck exceeds the California Low Emissions Vehicle standards.

With 25,000 students, the University of Illinois at Chicago is the largest and most diverse university in the Chicago area. UIC is home to the largest medical school in the United States and is one of only 88 national Research I universities. Located just west of Chicago's Loop, UIC is a vital part of the educational, technological and cultural fabric of the area.

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