Year 4 Competition
About The Year 4 Competition
From May 11-21, students, faculty, sponsors and organizers will gather in Motor City for the EcoCAR EV Challenge series finale.
This end of year competition marks the culmination of the 4-year series, which has challenged 13 North American teams to reengineer the 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ to demonstrate the potential of advanced propulsion systems and Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) technologies.
Teams will put their reengineered LYRIQs through rigorous testing at the GM Milford Proving Ground from May 11-16, where vehicles are assessed across dynamic events, including a Connected Intersection Navigation Challenge, Adaptive Cruise Control Feature Evaluation, and a Consumer Ride and Drive Event in which judges evaluated all aspects of each vehicle’s consumer appeal. Teams will then take their vehicles beyond the proving grounds and onto the streets of Detroit, demonstrating their innovations in a real-world environment and culminating their journey at the Hudson Building, General Motors’ global headquarters.
Stage Two will take place in Ypsilanti, MI and feature Sponsor Judged Events, Subteam Presentations, a Sponsor Networking & Recruitment Event and Faculty Dinner.
The competition finale on May 21st will feature an EcoCAR Vehicle Showcase and the Year 4 Awards Ceremony, where $100,000 in sponsor-provided prize money is up for grabs. We look forward to honoring our students, recognizing our sponsors, and celebrating the conclusion of the EcoCAR EV Challenge series.
Awards
Award Winners will be announced on Thursday, May 22, 2026.
Overall Awards
1st Place Overall: Georgia Tech
2nd Place Overall: McMaster University
3rd Place Overall: Virginia Tech
Engineering
Technical Presentations
1st Place System Design and Integration Presentation – Sponsored by Magna: Georgia Tech
1st Place Propulsion Controls & Modeling Presentation: University of Waterloo
1st Place Connected and Automated Vehicle Systems Presentation: Georgia Tech
Vehicle Events
1st Place Connected Driving Evaluation – Sponsored by dSPACE: Georgia Tech
1st Place Energy Consumption: Georgia Tech
1st Place Consumer Acceptability: Georgia Tech
Stay In Your Lane: Georgia Tech
1st Place Vehicle Driveability Evaluation: Georgia Tech
1st Place CARB CAV Energy Consumption: Georgia Tech
1st Place Vehicle Technical Specifications: Georgia Tech and Ohio State University & Wilberforce University
1st Place CAV Vehicle Technical Specifications: University of Alabama
1st Place Combined Longitudinal Acceleration: Georgia Tech
1st Place Thermal Control Excellence - Sponsored by TCCI: Georgia Tech and University of Alabama
Engineering Pre-Competition Deliverables
1st Place Team Facing Project Closeout: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Bethune Cookman
1st Place Final Technical Report – Sponsored by NXP: Ohio State University & Wilberforce University
Project Management
1st Place Project Management Presentation: Virginia Tech
2nd Place Project Management Program: University of Waterloo
1st Place Project Management Program: Virginia Tech
Communications
1st Place Communications Program: Georgia Tech and McMaster University
1st Place Communications Presentation – Sponsored by Bosch: McMaster University
1st Place Impact Video: Georgia Tech
1st Place Social Media Management: University of California, Riverside
Mobility Challenge
1st Place Mobility Challenge Presentation – Design Challenge: University of Texas, Austin
1st Place Mobility Challenge Program – Design Challenge: University of Texas, Austin
1st Place Mobility Challenge Presentation – Community Challenge: University of California, Davis
1st Place Mobility Challenge Program – Community Challenge: McMaster University
Organizer Awards
Outstanding Collaboration: Mississippi State University
Ron Stence Spirit of the Challenge: West Virginia University
Outstanding Faculty Advisor: Roydon Fraser, University of Waterloo
John Haraf Excellence in Leadership – Runner Up: Eric Gustafson, Georgia Tech
John Haraf Excellence in Leadership: Vincent Lombardi, McMaster University
Sponsored Awards
Best Final Vehicle Integration – Sponsored by AAM: Illinois Tech
2nd Place General Motors Women in STEM: Milenna Raposo from McMaster University
1st Place General Motors Women in STEM: Aisha Chaudhry from McMaster University
2nd Place MathWorks Model Based Design Award: University of Alabama
1st Place MathWorks Model Based Design Award: Virginia Tech
1st Place Argonne AI Innovation Award: Virginia Tech
