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.
Engineering
Technical Presentations
1st Place System Design and Integration Presentation – Sponsored by Magna
1st Place Propulsion Controls & Modeling Presentation
1st Place Connected and Automated Vehicle Systems Presentation
Vehicle Events
1st Place Connected Driving Evaluation – Sponsored by dSPACE
1st Place Energy Consumption
1st Place Consumer Acceptability
Stay In Your Lane
1st Place Vehicle Driveability Evaluation
1st Place CARB CAV Energy Consumption
1st Place Vehicle Technical Specifications
1st Place CAV Vehicle Technical Specifications
1st Place Combined Longitudinal Acceleration
1st Place Thermal Control Excellence - Sponsored by TCCI
Engineering Pre-Competition Deliverables
1st Place Team Facing Project Closeout
1st Place Final Technical Report – Sponsored by NXP
Project Management
1st Place Project Management Presentation
2nd Place Project Management Program
1st Place Project Management Program
Communications
1st Place Communications Presentation – Sponsored by Bosch
2nd Place Communications Program
1st Place Communications Program
1st Place Impact Video
1st Place Social Media Management
Mobility Challenge
1st Place Mobility Challenge Presentation – Design Challenge
1st Place Mobility Challenge Presentation – Community Challenge
1st Place Mobility Challenge Program – Design Challenge
1st Place Mobility Challenge Program – Community Challenge
Organizer Awards
Outstanding Collaboration
Ron Stence Spirit of the Challenge
Excellence in Leadership – Runner Up
Excellence in Leadership
Outstanding Faculty Advisor
Sponsored Awards
2nd Place General Motors Women in STEM
1st Place General Motors Women in STEM
2nd Place MathWorks Model Based Design Award
1st Place MathWorks Model Based Design Award
2nd Place Argonne AI Innovation Award
1st Place Argonne AI Innovation Award
Best Final Vehicle Integration – Sponsored by AAM
