Year 2 Competition
About The Year 2 Competition
From May 13 – May 22, 2024, EcoCAR students, faculty, sponsors, and organizers gathered in Yuma and Phoenix, AZ for the EcoCAR EV Challenge Year 2 Competition. This competition brought together the 13 teams who each embarked on their own journey to engineer a next generation battery electric vehicle (BEV) that utilizes automation and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity to implement energy efficient and customer-pleasing features, while meeting the decarbonization needs of the automotive industry.
During Stage 1, teams gathered in Yuma, AZ, at the General Motors Desert Proving Ground to undergo vehicle technical inspections that evaluated the safety and quality of the team’s vehicle integration and functionality. Teams were joined by over 100 industry sponsors providing hands-on support and troubleshooting assistance over five intensive days.
During Stage 2, EcoCAR teams transitioned to Phoenix, AZ, to give static presentations that showcased hard work and effort from Year 2 to sponsors and judges across each of the key the areas of the program: Engineering, Project Management, Communications, and Equity in Mobility. Stage 2 featured special events such as a Sponsor Social Networking and Recruitment event, as well as team and faculty celebrations.
The competition finale on May 22nd included a Sponsor Social Networking & Recruiting event where sponsors had the opportunity to recruit the competition’s top talent. The day concluded with the Year 2 Awards Ceremony where teams took home more than $100K in prize money.
Year 2 Vehicle events
On-Road Safety Evaluation (ORSE)
The On-Road Safety Evaluation (ORSE) event is available to teams who have passed Vehicle Technical inspection and must be completed before the team will be permitted to move on to other dynamic events. ORSE is designed to evaluate the vehicle’s dynamic handling characteristics and verify the ability of the vehicle to safely perform dynamic maneuvers and stop within a safe distance. Vehicles will be evaluated to make sure that no interference with the steering or suspension system exists, that the anti-lock brake system (ABS) is functioning, and that the vehicle exhibits stability at high and low speeds. Failure to pass this event will prevent a team from participating in additional dynamic events.
Before entering the ORSE event, teams must first pass Vehicle Technical inspection. Before proceeding to ORSE for the first time, a shakedown will be driven by a designated GM Driver (such as a teams’ GM Mentor) with a student permitted to ride in the passenger seat. On-Road Safety will also be driven by an ORSE GM Driver with a student permitted to ride in the passenger seat. If a vehicle fails to pass any portion of ORSE, it will be returned to the garage.
Acceleration
The acceleration event is available to teams who have passed ORSE and is designed to evaluate the ability of their vehicles to accelerate from initial vehicle movement (IVM) to 60 MPH on a closed course straight-away. This test is to measure the vehicles ability in real-world situations where increased acceleration is needed i.e. merging onto a highway or interstate. This event may be driven by a university team member or the General Motors Event Captain (with the remaining individual in the passenger seat).
Longitudinal Control Test
The Longitudinal Control Test event is designed to test initial development and deployment of longitudinal control algorithms on team vehicles in the form of conventional cruise control. Teams must pass VTI and ORSE to be eligible for this event. Teams must have the ability for the event captain to input cruise control commands manually via the stock cruise buttons on the vehicle. This is a scored dynamic vehicle event that will take place on the DPG circle track. Team vehicles will be evaluated on their ability to accept input from the driver to engage and operate cruise control, maintain a set speed, respond to increment/decrement requests, allow driver overrides, and properly indicate to the driver the state of the CAV system. Teams who compete in this event will also be eligible to win the dSPACE sponsor award Best Cruise Control System. Successful completion of this event will prepare teams for further development and deployment of CAV control algorithms in Y3. This event will be driven by a General Motors Event Captain with the University Student in the passenger seat.
Endurance and Energy Consumption (EEC)
The Endurance and Energy Consumption (EEC) Event in Year 2 is designed to evalute the ability of the teams vehicles to complete a real-world drive cycle on a closed course containing both city and highway sections. The drive portion of the event will be executed on the circle track and cover up to 21 miles in approximately 90 minutes, with a maximum allowable speed of 60 MPH. Team vehicles' energy use and efficiency will be measured before and after this event. This event will be driven by a General Motors Event Captain with the University Student in the passenger seat.
Award Winners
Overall Awards
1st Place Overall 2023-2024
Recipient: the Ohio State University and Wilberforce University team
2nd Place Overall 2023-2024
Recipient: Georgia Tech
3rd Place Overall 2023-2024
Recipient: McMaster University
4th Place Overall 2023-2024
Recipient: University of Alabama
Equity in Mobility
1st Place Stakeholder Identification and Track Selection Report
Recipient: West Virginia University
1st Place CBO Partnership Pitch
Recipient: Georgia Tech
1st Place Equity in Mobility Presentation
Recipient: McMaster University
2nd Place Equity in Mobility Program Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy
Recipient: Illinois Tech
1st Place Equity in Mobility Program Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy
Recipient: McMaster University
Communications
1st Place Communications Plan
Recipient: McMaster University
Best Social Media Management - Sponsored by Magna
Recipient: McMaster University
1st Place Communications Presentation - Sponsored by Bosch
Recipient: University of California, Davis
2nd Place Communications Program
Recipient: University of California, Davis
1st Place Communications Program
Recipient: McMaster University
Project Management
1st Place Execution Plan
Recipient: McMaster University
1st Place Winter Project Status Update Report
Recipient: University of California, Davis
1st Place Impact Report
Recipient: Illinois Tech
1st Place Project Management Presentation
Recipient: Mississippi State University
2nd Place Project Management Program
Recipient: McMaster University
1st Place Project Management Program
Recipient: Mississippi State University
Engineering
1st Place Vehicle Technical Roadmap
Recipient: the Ohio State University and Wilberforce University team
2nd Place Vehicle Technical Roadmap
Recipient: Georgia Tech
1st Place Final Technical Report - Sponsored by NXP
Recipient: Mississippi State University
1st Place System Design and Integration Presentation
Recipient: University of Alabama
1st Place Propulsion Controls & Modeling Presentation
Recipient: University of California, Davis
1st Place Connected and Automated Vehicle Systems Presentation
Recipient: University of Alabama
Vehicle Technical Inspection - Best Initial Integration
Recipient: the Ohio State University and Wilberforce University team
Best Workmanship - Sponsored by AAM
Recipient: Mississippi State University
Best Endurance & Energy Consumption
Recipient: the Ohio State University and Wilberforce University team
Over the HIL Award
Recipient: University of California, Davis
dSPACE Choice Award for CAV innovation:
Recipient: McMaster University
Best CAV Sensor Fusion System
Recipient: the Ohio State University and Wilberforce University team
Organizer Awards
Best EcoCAR Collaboration Award
Recipient: the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Bethune Cookman University team
Ron Stence Spirit of the Challenge Award
Recipient: University of Texas, Austin
Outstanding Community Impact
Recipient: Illinois Tech
Excellence in Leadership Award Runner Up:
Recipient: Ajay Suresh, University of California, Davis
Excellence in Leadership Award:
Recipient: Braeden Dickson, Georgia Tech
Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award 2023-2024
Recipient: Dr. John Ball, Mississippi State University
Sponsored Awards
General Motors Women in STEM Runner Up
Recipient: Morgan Bartley, West Virigina University
General Motors Women in STEM Award
Recipient: Gianna Distefano, the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Bethune Cookman University team
1st Place MathWorks Model Based Design Award
Recipient: Georgia Tech
Presenters: Eric Gustafson & Laurence Leon
