Trial Balloons

How did they get here? It’s the central question at Challenge Bibendum, the annual exposition of cars, trucks, and buses that use biodiesel, natural gas, propane, fuel cells, solar cells, electricity-anything short of rubber bands for propulsion.
Challenge Bibendum was conceived by Groupe Michelin as a way to bring together vehicle and engine manufacturers, designers, energy suppliers, and others to test technology for environmentally innovative vehicles. The Challenge returns to North America this year–it will be held in Sonoma, Calif., on Sept. 23-25-and commercial vehicles are again part of the mix. The Challenge has showcased prototypes from Freightliner, Volvo, and Allison Transmission; however, some of the vehicles on display see regular service. In 2001, United Parcel Service brought a Mack highway tractor and a walk-in van that burn natural gas, and a minivan with an electric engine. All are on the road every working day and haul real packages delivered by real drivers.
This year’s Challenge will include a day at the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, where vehicles will try to set benchmarks in acceleration, fuel efficiency, driving range, noise, braking, and slalom performance. The main event, though, is a day-long road rally through the
Sonoma Valley and across the Golden Gate Bridge.
www.challengebibendum.com