ILLINOIS TECH
About
The Illinois Tech EcoCAR team is a multidisciplinary group of about 43 students from various majors, including engineering, computer science, and business. What makes the Illinois Tech team stand out is its diversity, with members from various countries and several student-athletes from different programs, including soccer, basketball, and lacrosse, in both leadership and member roles.
As part of the EcoCAR EV Challenge, a competition organized by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors, the team is tasked with transforming a 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ into a more energy-efficient, semi-autonomous vehicle. Since joining the competition, the team has made significant progress, demonstrating their technical skills and adaptability.
In Year 2, the team placed second in the Equity in Mobility presentation, showcasing their commitment to creating inclusive and accessible vehicle designs. They also won the Community Outreach Award for their impactful work in educating the local community about electric vehicles. In Year 3, the team’s greatest accomplishment has been getting the car running, passing the vehicle technical inspection (VTI) and completing three-quarters of the propulsion events.
Looking ahead to Year 4, the team’s primary focus is on Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Systems (CAVs), with a specific emphasis on Adaptive Cruise Control. They are excited to deploy and test this system in the car.
Mission
Illinois Tech EcoCAR provides our students with an opportunity to gain industry-like hands-on experience with the design and manufacturing of advanced automotive systems while engaging and informing the community of our initiatives. We endeavor to stimulate the advancement of vehicle technologies and sustainable transportation through research and development while never losing sight of the needs of our stakeholders.
Goals
Higher Retention Rates: As a team, we would like to have higher retention rates. This includes keeping team members interested by giving students work they want to complete. We also want to hold more team bonding events to improve morale.
More Engineering Students at Comms and MC Events: As a team, we would like to have more engineering students attend Communications and Mobility Challenge events. This includes making events more relevant to their interests by connecting them to technical topics, inviting engineers to speak at events, and showcasing how their work ties into our outreach efforts. We also want to promote events earlier and more consistently so they can plan to attend.
Higher Retention Rates: Our team wants to keep more members engaged and motivated throughout the year. We plan to do this by assigning work that students are excited to tackle and hosting more team bonding activities to boost morale.
More Engineering Students at Comms and MC Events: We want more engineering students to participate in Communications and Mobility Challenge events. To make this happen, we’ll connect events to technical topics, invite engineers to speak, and highlight how their work contributes to our outreach efforts. We also plan to promote events earlier and more consistently, so students have time to plan and attend.
Stronger Technical Performance: Our team wants to improve how we approach technical tasks and competitions. This includes keeping our work organized with version control, running all competition events smoothly, and aiming to earn more points than last year.
Carrie Hall
Lead Faculty Advisor
Illinios Tech Team
Matthew Spenko
Lead Faculty Advisor
Illinios Tech Team
Antonia Martinez
Communications Manager
Illinios Tech Team
Grace Goodnough
Mobility Challenge Lead
Illinios Tech Team
Nicolas Etchegaray
SDI Lead
Illinios Tech Team
Kelly Hitchcock
PCM Lead
Illinios Tech Team
Martin Harmon
CAVs Lead
Illinios Tech Team
Md Rashed Hossain
PCM Lead
Illinios Tech Team
Get Involved
What they’ve learned from EcoCAR
Martin Harmon, CAVs Lead: “What I’ve learned from EcoCAR is how to work in a team effectively to achieve a long-term goal, and how to safely design, implement, and test engineered features.”
What it means to be a part of EcoCAR
Antonia Martinez, CM: “To me, being part of EcoCAR means being on a team that is all working toward the same goal. It’s more than just a project; it’s something I take pride in. Everyone supports each other, and even though we each have our own roles, we’re always willing to step in and help with different parts of the challenge. It’s a space where you learn, grow, and contribute to something that actually matters.”
Why someone should get involved in EcoCAR
Kelly Hitchcock, PM: “EcoCAR is a great way for students to get a hands-on understanding of electric vehicles, taking what we learn in the classroom and putting it into real-world practice. It’s a chance to work on new technology and build skills that prepare us for careers in the automotive industry.”
Contact Information
Point of contact name and email: Kelly Hitchcock, Project Manager: [email protected]
Positions available on team: Propulsion, Controls, and Modeling (PCM) member, System Design Integration (SDI) team member, and Mobility Challenge (MC) team member, Connected Autonomous Vehicle (CAVs) team member, Communications (Comms) Team Member
Location for team meetings: Kaplan Institute at Illinois Tech, in the Tellabs Innovation Alley, Room 107.
Times & dates for team meetings: Friday from 12:45 PM to 1:45 PM
