INDIANAPOLIS — Allison Transmission Inc. will co-sponsor Emerging Technology Day, which will be held in May 2011 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). The event is part of the IMS’s 100th Anniversary Indy 500 celebration.

Emerging Technology Day will highlight innovative renewable technologies. Three main competitions will be featured: The Formula Hybrid, an exhibition competition that challenges university students to design, build and race high performance plug-in hybrid vehicles; The American Solar Challenge, a competition to design, build and drive solar-powered cars; and a Purdue University electric-powered kart race. 

“Allison’s sponsorship of Emerging Technology Day is a natural extension of our commitment to developing future technologies and to building strong relationships with university talent and the Speedway, Indiana community,” said Allison Transmission Vice President of Engineering Randall Kirk.

Allison Transmission was started by James Allison, one of the original founders of the IMS and team owner of the 1919 winning Indy 500 car. The company is a provider of commercial duty automatic transmissions and commercial hybrid systems.

Allison was one of the first to develop a commercial hybrid system for transit buses, and now its product is in nearly 3,000 buses around the world, according to the company.

A new Allison hybrid propulsion system is currently in the works for medium-duty trucks that will utilize advanced hybrid technology to deliver greater fuel efficiency and performance.