Next was Mississippi State's entry, which was announced as the winner of the third-annual Challenge X in June. We can see why: Part of the competition is to design a reduced-emissions vehicle with consumer appeal, and this one uses an engine and transmission from GM's European models (a 1.9-liter turbodiesel inline-four and six-speed manual), which are already established, backed with reliable hybrid technology. The diesel engine runs on B20 soybean-based biodiesel and, though physically smaller than the stock V-6, is in the same location. The team redesigned the rear suspension cradle to accommodate the 67kW electric motor. The engine and battery pack put out a total of 240 horsepower and approximately 230 pound-feet of torque, and 0-to-60 is estimated at 7.5 seconds-more than 1.0 second faster than a stock Equinox. And, if that's not enough, this biodiesel Equinox gets about 35 mpg combined city/highway fuel economy.
In this through-the-road parallel hybrid, the Equinox runs on electric power at low speed. At higher speed, though, it's used as a gradual power boost, with an incredibly smooth transition from electric to diesel power. Anyone who enjoys shifting gears would love driving this AWD Equinox -- it's just like driving anything else with three pedals. The team members must've loved driving it, too -- they put as many miles on their vehicle (over 15,000) as the next four teams put on theirs combined. The most noticeable difference between this and a typical small SUV is that the brakes, likely because of the regen system, are somewhat grabby.