Written by: Ashley Kronsell-Oller
From March 3-14, EcoCAR teams will participate in the Year 3 Dynamometer Testing Event at the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Mobile Laboratory Source in Riverside, CA. This critical phase of the EcoCAR EV Challenge will provide teams with an opportunity to evaluate and refine their newly developed propulsion systems and adaptive cruise control (ACC) algorithms in a controlled, repeatable environment.
This event will utilize the Anything-in-the-Loop (XIL) testing framework and software developed and validated by researchers at Argonne National Laboratory that enables repeatable evaluation of features like adaptive cruise control and Cooperative Driving Automation (CDA) in a controlled lab environment.
The goal of this event is to assess each prototype vehicle’s energy consumption in multiple scenarios, including the effectiveness of ACC and cooperative driving automation features when following a virtual target vehicle running abbreviated standardized test cycles. The tests will help ensure that each team’s Cadillac LYRIQ meets performance expectations before moving on to more advanced real-world testing at the Year 3 Competition this May.
CAVs testing includes Live XIL-Based Testing, which is closed-loop dynamometer testing using simulated sensor inputs, as well as manually driven replay of ACC drive traces. These manually-driven ACC drive traces were generated by teams’ simulated ACC model performance using Simulink to provide an alternative test method that does not require closed-loop real-time operation. Both types of tests are focused each LYRIQ’s performance while following a simulated lead vehicle during city and highway driving.
Propulsion Systems (PropSys) testing will feature an Energy Consumption Evaluation where teams will test their propulsion system integration and software on a dynamometer. Teams will gain an understanding of vehicle setup and procedures used in EV certification testing. While standard energy consumption and range tests require a full depletion of the battery on a dynamometer—an effort that can take over 14 hours—EcoCAR teams will use an abbreviated multi-cycle test to maximize their limited dynamometer time at CARB. Teams that able to complete the modified multi cycle test (MCT) will receive an estimated EV driving range (miles).
This event represents a major milestone in Year 3 of the EcoCAR EV Challenge, pushing teams to validate and enhance their vehicle designs using industry-leading testing methodologies and state-of-the-art dynamometers. Students will gain hands-on experience with these testing procedures and facilities while learning firsthand from CARB and Argonne engineers about the intricacies of the testing process.
“CARB is proud to play a role in the EcoCAR Challenge by sharing its new state-of-the-art Southern California Headquarters Laboratory to help develop automotive engineers of the future that recognize the important role vehicle engineering plays in protecting air quality for the benefit of public health,” said Mark Fuentes, CARB’s Mobile Laboratory Source Division Chief.
As teams refine their propulsion and automation systems, they continue to play a pivotal role in advancing the future of connected and automated technologies. Stay tuned for updates from the testing lab as EcoCAR teams take on this exciting challenge!
