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EcoCAR 2 is the premiere North American collegiate automotive competition that challenges 15 North American universities to redesign a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu to decrease the environmental impact of the Malibu while maintaining its performance, safety, and consumer appeal. The EcoCAR 2 project is a three year competition headline sponsored by General Motors and U.S. Department of Energy. In Year 1 of the competition, extensive modeling guided the Colorado State University (CSU) Vehicle Innovation Team (VIT) to choose an all-electric vehicle powertrain architecture with range extending hydrogen fuel cells, to be called the Malibu H2eV. During this year, the CSU VIT followed the EcoCAR 2 Vehicle Design Process (VDP) to develop the H2eV's electric and hydrogen powertrain, energy storage system (ESS), control systems, and auxiliary systems.

In order to determine the overall fuel economy of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), the amount of operation in charge depleting (CD) versus charge sustaining modes must be determined. Mode of operation is predominantly dependent on customer usage of the vehicle and is therefore highly variable. The utility factor (UF) concept was developed to quantify the distance a group of vehicles has traveled or may travel in CD mode. SAE J2841 presents a UF calculation method based on data collected from travel surveys of conventional vehicles. UF estimates have been used in a variety of areas, including the calculation of window sticker fuel economy, policy decisions, and vehicle design determination. The EV Project, a plug-in electric vehicle charging infrastructure demonstration being conducted across the United States, provides the opportunity to determine the real-world UF of a large group of privately owned Chevrolet Volt extended range electric vehicles.

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) offer the benefits of both home charging from grid electricity and extended range from fuels. Fuel cell PHEVs in a range-extending (FCEREV) configuration build upon the advantages of PHEV by producing zero emissions while driving. The Colorado State University Vehicle Innovation Team (CSU VIT) successfully designed, built, and demonstrated a FCEREV named ‘H2eV’ for Year Two of the 3-year EcoCAR 2 collegiate competition. The demonstrated FCEREV is based on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu and features a 15 kW Polymer Electrolyte Membrane fuel cell system, an 18.9 kWh/177 kW Li-Ion battery, and a 145 kW motor for all-electric drive. Operational data was taken during driving on a closed course, following a cycle that approximates the Environmental Protection Agency's 5-cycle test procedure. This paper provides an overview of the CSU VIT's FCEREV and a detailed analysis of vehicle performance during its successful demonstration.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FCPHEV) offer the potential for zero tailpipe-emission personal transportation with extended range over many battery electric vehicles. As part of the EcoCAR 2 vehicle design competition Colorado State University (CSU) has undergone a complete vehicle design process for a FCPHEV. EcoCAR 2 is a three-year collegiate engineering competition challenging universities in North America to reduce the environmental impacts of a Chevrolet Malibu without compromising performance, safety and consumer acceptability. The detailed design phase is outlined and explained in this paper including component specification, safety, and control. The CSU FCPHEV is intended to serve as a demonstration for how hydrogen and electricity can meet future transportation needs for passenger vehicles.

EcoCAR2 is a three year project in which a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu will be redesigned to reduce emissions and be more energy efficient without sacrificing performance, safety, or consumer appeal. The competition includes 15 universities across North America and is headline sponsored by General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy. Extensive modeling work guided the Colorado State University (CSU) Vehicle Innovation Team (VIT) to choose an all-electric vehicle architecture with a range extending hydrogen fuel cell. The team has followed the EcoCAR2 vehicle design process (VDP) in the development of the powertrain, energy storage, controls, and auxiliary systems. Details on the design process and results for these subsystems and a discussion of the integration challenges are presented.