UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
About
The University of California, Riverside is one of the only two schools from the west coast competing in the EcoCAR EV Challenge. The team is located in Inland Southern California, less than 2 hours away from Los Angeles and San Diego.
Designated as a Minority Serving Institution, UC Riverside is well known for improving the success of low-income, first-generation students as well as students of color, ranking #2 in Social Mobility in 2023. As a result, its EcoCAR team reflects the university’s diversity, passion and determination to succeed, and its students come from many different career, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds.
Many of its team leads and faculty conduct their research at the Center for Environmental Research and Technology, the largest research center at UC Riverside’s College of Engineering and a leader in air quality, energy and sustainable transportation research.
EcoCAR EV Challenge is the third Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition that UC Riverside, and CE-CERT in particular, has participated in, with previous competitions including the Propane Vehicle Challenge and the Ethanol Vehicle Challenge.
The Inland Empire is rapidly growing and participation in the EcoCAR EV Challenge is a major step in taking UC Riverside and our community towards economic development and educational success.
Mission
The UC Riverside EcoCAR team prides itself on its diverse student body and believes diversity is crucial to its success.
The team’s mission is to empower the next generation of leaders and innovators by exposing its students to hands-on experience in one of the most advanced automotive research and development competitions, improving their professional growth and job market readiness.
Goals
- Develop controller models, implement hardware-in-the-loop testing, create advanced driver assistance systems, integrate propulsion components via the vehicle’s Controller Area Network bus and form comprehensive test plans to ensure system functionality and safety.
- Build a stronger team culture through DEI initiatives that aim to cultivate psychological safety and develop the team demographics as a truer reflection of UC Riverside’s diverse environment. The team also aims to achieve at least 80% job placement for all members to boost social mobility through skills gained or sponsors connected via the competition.
- Improve deliverable performance and overall rankings by fostering a growth mindset for all team members and building upon lessons learned in Year 1 of EcoCAR EV Challenge
Team Members
Dr. Matthew Barth
Lead Faculty Advisor
Professor Barth received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering/computer science from the University of Colorado in 1984, and M.S. (1985) and Ph.D. (1990) degrees in electrical and computer engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
From 1986 to 1987, he conducted research at the University of Tokyo as a visiting research student. Upon completion of his Ph.D., Professor Barth was a visiting researcher at Osaka University, conducting research in systems engineering from 1989 to 1991.
Dr. Barth joined the University of California, Riverside in 1991, conducting research in electrical engineering at the Center for Environmental Research and Technology, where he served as director until 2022. He is now the associate dean for research and graduate education at the Bourns College of Engineering at UC Riverside.
Professor Barth’s research focuses on applying engineering system concepts and automation technology to transportation systems and how it relates to energy and air quality issues. His current research interests include intelligent transportation systems, sustainable transportation, transportation/ emissions modeling, electric vehicle technology, and advanced sensing and control.
Professor Barth has received many prestigious research awards and is active in various organizations such as the U.S. Transportation Research Board, several National Research Council committees, the IEEE Intelligent Transportation System Society where he has served in various positions, such as IEEE ITSS Vice President for Conferences, Vice President of Education, and President from 2014-2015.
Dr. Guoyuan Wu
Lead Connected Automated Vehicle Systems Faculty Advisor
Guoyuan Wu received his Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2010. Currently, he holds a full researcher and adjunct professor position at Bourns College of Engineering – Center for Environmental Research & Technology and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering in the University of California, Riverside.
His research interest has been focused on the development and evaluation of sustainable and intelligent transportation system technologies, including connected and automated transportation systems, shared mobility, transportation electrification, optimization and control of vehicles, traffic simulation and energy/emissions measurement and modeling. He has authored and co-authored more than 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conferences.
Dr. Wu serves as an associate editor for a few prestigious journals in the area of ITS. He is a member of National Academy of Inventors and a member of several Standing Committees of the Transportation Research Board. He is the recipient of 2020 Vincent Bendix Automotive Electronics Engineering Award, 2021 Arch T. Colwell Merit Award, and 2017-2020 IEEE-ITSM Outstanding Survey Paper Award.
Trang Bui
Communications Manager
Trang is pursuing her master’s in business administration with a focus on information systems and business operations within the field of Supply Chain. She received her bachelor’s in supply chain and operations management from UC Riverside, where she co-developed a business team within an engineering student organization - Unmanned Aerial Systems at UCR - and was the operations manager for UCR’s inaugural Aerospace Conference in 2021.
Before joining EcoCAR, she was the assistant wvents coordinator for the College of Engineering’s Center for Environmental Research and Technology, where she met the Year 1 EcoCAR leadership team and joined as the communications manager. Trang has since transitioned into project management and hopes to continue in this discipline as a career.
Outside of class and leadership, Trang enjoys hiking, trying new foods and practicing mixed martial arts.
Dylan Stubo
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Manager
Dylan is from the East Bay Area in Northern California, and is in his second year being the UCR EcoCAR team’s DEI Manager. He is very passionate about cars and the environment and likes to spend his free time hiking or working on his vehicles.
Dylan’s goal is to have a career geared towards a more sustainable future while having the skills and knowledge to shape policy for a larger impact. He is currently working on his bachelor’s in environmental science to achieve that.
Dr. Hang Qiu
Lead Connected Automated Vehicle Systems Faculty Advisor
Hang Qiu is an assistant professor of ECE and CSE at the University of California, Riverside, where he leads the Collaborative Intelligence Systems Lab, which innovates in cooperative robots and autonomous systems for edge ML. He is also a faculty member of Center for Robotics and Intelligent Systems and a faculty member of Center for Environmental Research and Technology.
Before joining UCR as faculty, Dr. Qiu was a software engineer at Waymo, Google’s (Alphabet’s) self-driving car spin-off, a postdoctoral scholar in the Platform Lab at Stanford University, worked in Microsoft Research, IBM Research and collaborated with General Motors for over five years. He received his Ph.D. from the Networked Systems Lab at University of Southern California and bachelor’s degree from the IIOT at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Dr. Qiu’s lab aims to infuse collaborative intelligence into today’s autonomous systems, breaking the barriers between robot intelligence, edge/cloud intelligence and human intelligence and empowering them to communicate and cooperate to achieve capabilities beyond individuals. In this interdisciplinary effort, his team’s research focuses on networked systems problems at the intersection of machine learning systems, robotics, cyber-physical systems, edge computing and networking.
Professor Sundararajan Venkatadriagaram
Lead Propulsion Controls and Modeling Faculty Advisor
Professor Sundar is an associate teaching professor who has experience in design and manufacturing with an emphasis on predictive analytics for electrical motors and automotive transmissions.
He has conducted research on fault analysis of electric motors and transmissions. In addition, his interests include sustainability, transportation and automation. He has taught courses on dynamics, mechanisms and machines, design of experiments, machine design and sustainable product design in addition to a wide range of classes in mechanical engineering. He is also the undergraduate advisor for the ME department and in his capacity, routinely mentors students on a variety of co-curricular projects.
Vincent Le
Project Manager
Vincent is an electrical engineering graduate student from Anaheim, currently pursuing his Master’s of Science in electrical engineering at UC Riverside.
He is interested in the automotive and aerospace industries, having been the president of a rocket project during his undergraduate years and a member of the CAVs team during Year 1 of EcoCAR EV Challenge.
Through his internships at L3 Harris Technologies, Vincent has cultivated expertise in cable assembly design, military standards integration and providing technical solutions. The transition into project management has enabled him to envision engineering development with a different and broader lens, where he hopes to build upon his invaluable experience and turn it into a career.
Beyond his academic pursuits, Vincent finds enjoyment in rock climbing, driving, hiking and experimenting with culinary creations.
Logan Dang
System Design and Integration Lead
Logan is a fourth-year mechanical engineering undergraduate at UC Riverside.
Throughout her academic journey, Logan has honed a solid foundation in various engineering disciplines, from thermodynamics to materials science and design. Her passion for innovation and problem-solving has led her to participate in challenging extracurricular projects, notably the EcoCAR EV Challenge, where she is currently the co-lead for the System Integration and Design team.
Her time in the competition has enabled her to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams, develop strong leadership and communication skills. Eager to apply her theoretical knowledge to practical applications, Logan is determined to contribute her creativity and dedication to any organization that offers hands-on experience and fosters a culture of continuous learning. She is looking for opportunities within the aerospace or automotive industry.
Phoenix Guiterrez
System Design and Integration Lead
Phoenix is a fifth-year mechanical engineering undergraduate at UCR and one of the co-leads for the SDI team in EcoCAR.
He has experience in engineering, education and childcare, and is looking to find an internship at an automotive company.
Phoenix enjoys playing video games, reading, playing drums, and drawing. A fun fact about Phoenix is that he has traveled to more countries than states in the US!
Abhinav Vyas
Propulsion Controls and Modeling Lead
Abhinav grew up in India and has always been fascinated by heavy machinery such as cars, airplanes, ships and earthmovers. He began pursuing more traditional disciplines of engineering like mechanical and electrical engineering as an undergraduate student, while everyone around him wanted to be part of the "Data revolution".
He is currently in his first year pursuing a Ph.D in intelligent transportation systems and could not be happier.
Mike Stas
Connected and Automated Vehicle Systems Lead
Mike is a third-year electrical engineering Ph.D. student at UCR and is currently the Year 2 lead for the CAV team.
Mike has earned undergraduate and master’s degree in electrical engineering from UCR and has been a part of the EcoCAR team since the start of Year 1.
His experience with EcoCAR has helped him develop important leadership and communication skills, especially when working with undergraduate students and collaborating with teams of different disciplines.
301 E. Dean Keeton St. Austin, Texas 78705
GET InvolveD
- The team is always looking for students of all backgrounds and experiences. Students can get involved by:
- Signing up for the team’s email list and engaging with it on socials for the latest updates
- Applying to be a part the team
- Signing up for an ME or ECE senior design project under one of its faculty advisors
- Locations for team meetings:
- Garage and main workspace is at the off-campus Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) at 1084 Columbia Avenue, Riverside, CA 92507
- On-campus office is Bourns A137
- Most meetings have a hybrid option (e.g., via Zoom) to accommodate as many members as possible, but in-person participation is still highly encouraged
- Times/dates for team meetings:
- Wednesdays, 4-5PM at CE-CERT (fall 2023).
Contact Information:
Address
1084 Columbia Avenue, Riverside, CA 92507
General contact: ecocar@ucr.edu
Project Manager: Vincent Le | vle059@ucr.edu
Communications Manager: Trang Bui | tbui036@ucr.edu
Lead Faculty Advisor: Matthew Barth | barth@ucr.edu