Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions

North America's Premier Collegiate Automotive Engineering Competitions

Managed by Argonne National Laboratory

About AVTCs

Established in 1988 by the U.S. Department of Energy and Argonne National Laboratory in partnership with the automotive industry, Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions (AVTCs) are North America’s premier collegiate automotive engineering competitions and DOE’s flagship workforce development program for future automotive engineers. AVTCs engage students from middle school through higher education, creating a pipeline that both encourages students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and has seeded more than 30,000 graduates into industry, helping to build the diverse workforce needed for the U.S. to be competitive in the global marketplace.

35

Year History

For 35 years, AVTCs have provided students with real-world, hands-on experience tackling the challenges associated with building more fuel-efficient vehicles.

95

Educational Institutions

Students from nearly 100 North American educational institutions have participated in AVTCs

30,000

Alumni

AVTCs have seeded more than 30,000 graduates into industry, helping to build the diverse workforce needed for the U.S. to be competitive in the global marketplace.

Recent News

Green Garage Blog

Old Meets New

March 21, 2023

Written by: Grace Yeh  During the EcoCAR EV Challenge, The Ohio State University will be collaborating with Wilberforce University to form a dynamic, diverse, and impressive team. Old will meet […]

Green Garage Blog

Seeking Success: How McMaster EcoCAR is Empowering Women in STEM Leadership

March 8, 2023

Written by: Rida Khan and Kyle Wyndham-West Diversity is a crucial component of the McMaster EcoCAR team. Diverse backgrounds, opinions and leadership are important to the team’s performance as the [...]

Green Garage Blog

ERAU & BCU Women in STEM are Leading the EV Charge

March 2, 2023

Written by: Skye Myers The Embry-Riddle / Bethune Cookman EcoCAR EV Challenge team strives for equal female representation on their collaborative team. Currently, 40% of the student leadership positions are [...]

Green Garage Blog

DEI In Action at UA EcoCAR

February 17, 2023

Written by: Helene Renninger The University of Alabama’s EcoCAR EV Challenge team works to develop an energy efficient vehicle while addressing and educating members about the importance of diversity, equity, [...]

Green Garage Blog

Georgia Tech EcoCAR: Building a Strong Team Through DEI

February 14, 2023

Written by: Angel Garcia, Natalia Alvarez Rodriguez Georgia Tech EcoCAR is committed to fostering a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive (DEI) environment for all our members. Georgia Tech’s EcoCAR members have [...]

AVTC News

EcoCAR EV Challenge Winter Workshop Wraps in Austin

February 7, 2023

Last week the EcoCAR Teams, Sponsors, and Organizers gathered at the Hotel Viata in Austin, TX from February 2-4, 2023, for the EcoCAR EV Challenge Year 1 Winter Workshop! Although the [...]

Introducing the latest AVTC:

EcoCAR EV Challenge Logo

2022 - 2026

The EcoCAR EV Challenge challenges 15 North American universities to engineer a next generation battery electric vehicle (BEV) that utilizes automation and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity to implement energy efficient and customer-pleasing features, while meeting the decarbonization need of the automotive industry.

The competition kicks off this fall and will conclude in Spring 2026.

About the EcoCAR EV Challenge

The latest AVTC series, the EcoCAR EV Challenge (EcoCAR), will challenge 15 North American universities to engineer a next generation battery electric vehicle (BEV) that utilizes automation and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity to implement energy efficient...

EV Challenge Sponsors

Sponsors provide the hardware, software, training, and support the teams need to integrate technologies into their competition vehicles. This arrangement gives students access to components and systems that might otherwise be unavailable or too expensive...

Green Garage Blog

Stay up-to-date on the latest AVTC news by following along on the Green Garage Blog. The blog features stories highlighting various elements of AVTCs, including stories written by students that highlight team updates & achievements.

Events & Announcements

Announcing the EcoCAR EV Challenge Year One Fall Workshop! The Fall Workshop will take place October 7 – 9, 2022 at the University of California, Davis located outside of Sacramento, CA.

Upcoming Events

Students

Are you looking participate in the ultimate educational engineering experience? With AVTC, you are participating in a high-profile, hands-on project where you’re following real-world processes and working in an interdisciplinary environment. This experience fuels your...

K-12 Educators

EcoCAR teams will be planning and hosting youth outreach events beginning this fall. The Communications Managers will be developing hands-on EcoCAR STEM educational activities for students k-12 and will be provided to all educators in...

Alumni

Since 1988, more than 30,000 students have graduated from the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) program. AVTC graduates from 13 different series have gone on to work in various areas of the automotive industry all...

Sponsorship

Sponsors provide hardware, software, training, and mentorship to support the teams in the development of their competition vehicles. Sponsors are able to observe how their technology performs during rigorous and innovative use. They also have...

Want to learn more about AVTCs?

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