• Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Ford Motor Company, and others
• Managed by Argonne National Laboratory's Center for Transportation Research

Teams of students from 15 top North American universities refined their reengineered Ford Explorers to achieve lower-emission and at least 25% higher fuel economy, without sacrificing the performance, utility, safety, and affordability consumers want. To meet this challenge, students used a variety of cutting-edge technologies, including advanced propulsion systems, lightweight materials, hybrid electric design strategies, and alternative fuels such as hydrogen, ethanol, and biodiesel. After months of preparation, teams underwent a comprehensive safety evaluation, followed by dynamic testing and static design events at Ford's Michigan Proving Ground in June 2004. Ford's Allen Park Test Laboratory evaluated the tailpipe and greenhouse gas emissions of the FutureTruck vehicles.

FutureTruck shows that the cooperation of industry, government, and academia is the best approach to develop more energy-efficient and "greener" automotive technologies, to improve our economy and our environment, and to keep North American technology competitive on a global basis. The competition also helps develop hundreds of highly skilled engineers with a greater awareness of these technologies, preparing them to lead the automotive industry in the 21st Century.