From May 9-20, more than 250 students, faculty, sponsors and organizers will gather for the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge series finale in Arizona.
This event marks the culmination of the series, which has challenged 11 North American university teams to reengineer a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer utilizing electrification, advanced propulsion systems and automated vehicle technology to improve the energy efficiency, safety and consumer appeal of their vehicle.
The Year 4 Competition will kick-off in Yuma, AZ, on May 9th where teams will begin week-long Vehicle Technical Inspections (VTI) and dynamic vehicle testing events at the General Motors Desert Proving Ground. Vehicle testing events will include an On-Road Safety Evaluation (ORSE), Propulsion System Drive Quality, Energy Consumption, Adaptive Cruise Control Drive Quality and the Connected and Automated Vehicle Perception Evaluation. Additionally, teams will participate in the Connected Mobility Challenge where Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) connectivity capabilities will be tested on the teams’ Blazers. The vehicles will navigate through a connected signalized intersection while using real time Infrastructure-to-Vehicle (I2V) information from the traffic lights.
Teams will transition to Phoenix, AZ on Saturday May 14th by participating in an Over the Road Event, which is modelled after industry standard “Buyoff Rides” and challenges teams to complete a 150-plus mile drive. Unlike other dynamic events, the OTR event is conducted on open roads in real-world driving conditions, exposing vehicles to variables such as grade and traffic that are not experienced in any other competition event.
On Tuesday, May 17th we will be hosting the EcoCAR Demo Day to cap off the 4-year EcoCAR Mobility Challenge. The event will feature a ride-and-drive course where sponsors, media, university administrators, and other stakeholders will have the opportunity to test drive EcoCAR vehicles in a closed course environment and experience all of the vehicle features teams have implemented over the last 4 years, including CAV features like Adaptive Cruise Control and V2X connectivity.
Teams will also be judged in more than six technical presentations where they will prove the viability of their designs and showcase their year-long effort to government and industry judges.
The competition finale on May 20th will include a Sponsor Social Networking & Recruiting Event where the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge competition sponsors will have the opportunity to recruit the competition’s top talent. The day will conclude with the Year 4 Awards Ceremony where teams will take home more than $100K in prize money!
We look forward to seeing teams and sponsors at the Year Four Competition! Follow along throughout the year as we release more details about the event.
Schedule
May 9: Competition Begins, Welcome Night
May 14: Over the Road Event
May 16-17: Consumer Appeal and HMI/UX Presentations
May 17: Demo Day
May 18-19: Judged Presentations
May 20: Sponsor Social & Awards Ceremony
