EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY / BETHUNE-COOKMAN University
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The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) / Bethune-Cookman University (BCU) team is comprised of students from the experienced ERAU Team and the new BCU members. ERAU has participated in EcoCAR since its inception and has a vast knowledge of both the technical elements and the expectations of competition. In this historic moment, ERAU will collaborate with students from BCU who are new to the EcoCAR competition.
The ERAU team is comprised of graduate and undergraduate students with various STEM degrees such as Mechanical Engineering, Human Factors, and Civil Engineering. Embry-Riddle has participated in EcoCAR competitions since 2008, where they converted the Saturn Vue into a 2-mode biodiesel plug-in hybrid which won them fourth place in 2011. After that, the team moved on to the Chevrolet Malibu, finishing in 5th place in 2014, after converting the car to a biodiesel series plug-in hybrid. In EcoCAR 3, the teams were given 4 years per car. The Embry-Riddle team finished in 2nd place in 2018, after taking the basic Camaro and turning it into an 85 series plug-in hybrid. Covid-19 drastically affected the ERAU team during the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge. The competition was from 2018-2022 and during that time, our team converted the Chevrolet Blazer to a hybrid vehicle with semi-autonomous features.
The BCU team is made up of undergraduate students from Computer Science (CS), Computer Engineering (CE), Psychology, and Environmental Science. Initially, the team was motivated by the technological challenge and the opportunity to learn about the technology behind autonomous vehicles as well as computer vision and machine learning. They are also motivated by the opportunity to enter graduate school or be part of a hi-tech company in the area of electric vehicles. Despite their initial motivations, the interest in the social and environmental aspects of EcoCAR has increased students’ interest in technical areas, education, communications, and health sciences. This is their first time in the competition, and they have acquired this opportunity thanks to the partnership with ERAU. Because most of the group belongs to the CS and CE degrees, the team focuses on computer vision and machine learning while applying their knowledge in the areas of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) and Human Machine Interface (HMI). Although their focus is the technical side of the design process, it is also relevant to study the way humans interact with this new technology, and how it will affect society.
Mission
Our team’s mission is to develop a multicultural and transdisciplinary group of graduate and undergraduate students who will be adeptly trained to face the different challenges of the evolving automotive industry. They will be the new generation in charge of overcoming the future challenges of mobility and the use of clean energy in our country. We aim to assemble a team capable of understanding and facing the different aspects of the LYRIQ to plan the different strategies that will support the development and participation of the team in the next three years of the competition.
Developing an excellent work plan in the technical aspects (mechanical, electrical, and software), DEI and communications will help lay the foundation for success through the EV Ecocar Challenge. The ERAU/BCU EcoCAR EV Challenge Team is committed to developing a diverse team of students who are dedicated to supporting one another, furthering their knowledge and skills, and cultivating a collaborative work and learning environment, to achieve our shared goals for competition, education, and professional development. The next generation of industry leaders starts here.
Goals
- Learning from previous competitions, develop a team strategy that will help us lay the foundations for our success through the EV Ecocar Challenge 2022-2026. This can be achieved by collaborating on systemic improvements with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, communication channels, and knowledge transfer by November 17th, 2022.
- Create a welcoming and inclusive team that seeks to address Equity in Mobility challenges by facilitating innovation from a variety of perspectives. To facilitate this goal, we plan to participate in a minimum of four outreach events per semester with our local campuses and communities.
- Instill a spirit of perseverance, determination, creativity, and innovation through diverse collaboration while pursuing cutting-edge engineering with the purpose of achieving excellence in all areas and placing in the top quartile of the competition for year 1.
Team Members
Get Involved
Please contact our project managers if you have not joined our team but want to. We are always looking for more help with both the technical side and communications sides of our team. No experience is required for new team members, just enthusiasm and patience. Our lab is in the Lehman Engineering Building in room 171A but we also hold meetings virtually and in our Garage!
- HMI/UX Meetings: Tuesdays 5:15 pm-6:15 pm @ College of Arts and Sciences Room 207
- CAVS Meetings: Every other Sunday 12 pm-3 pm @ Lehman Building Room 171A
- General Meetings: Every other Friday 1 pm-2 pm @ Lehman Building Room 171A
Contact Information
Address
ERAU Address: 1 Aerospace Blvd, Daytona Beach, FL 32114
BCU Address: 640 Dr Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd, Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Douglas Turner, ERAU Project Manager: turnerd25@my.erau.edu
Jamal Burey, BCU Project Manager: a.burey@students.cookman.edu
