Written by: Saniyah Mohiuddin, Victoria Akirtava, and Antonia Martinez
The EcoCAR EV Challenge does more than challenge students to build advanced vehicle technologies; it helps launch careers. Through hands-on engineering, real deadlines, and direct mentorship from industry sponsors, students gain practical experience that goes beyond the classroom. From using professional tools to presenting technical work to engineers, EcoCAR builds the technical skills, leadership experience, and industry connections that give graduates a strong start in internships and full-time roles.
Kelly Hitchcock joined EcoCAR in 2023 as a Propulsion Controls & Modeling (PCM) Lead, where she focused on developing and validating the vehicle’s propulsion control model. Her work centered on building and refining control strategies within a Model-Based Design framework, including calibration of the pedal map for both normal driving and regenerative braking. She built and tested the vehicle model in Simulink to ensure torque delivery, system constraints, and driver inputs were accurately modeled and met performance objectives. Through structured simulation, calibration, and validation testing, Kelly helped ensure the vehicle’s control system delivered smooth, predictable, and efficient performance. The role required strong analytical skills, disciplined testing practices, and the ability to translate vehicle-level requirements into robust control logic.
Through her experience on the PCM team she was able to take on the lead role, eventually transitioning to Project Manager (PM) the following year. As the PM, Kelly supports the full program, connecting teams, managing risk, and aligning deliverables across the competition. Through these experiences, she entered her Summer 2025 internship ready to contribute from day one. Kelly states that, “being the PCM Lead for EcoCAR I take part in many different deliverables required for competition and use programs such as MatLab and SimuLink that provided me with skills to prepare me for my internship with Altec.”
Jorge Vilella Carcases followed a similar technical path with EcoCAR. He began as a Connected & Automated Vehicles (CAVs) member in 2024, working on driver assistance and vehicle communication systems. The sub-team’s work required structured software development, integration testing, and cross-team coordination, giving Jorge hands-on experience with softwares. Jorge advises to “commit to the team as much as you can because every single thing you do or learn is going to give you very valuable information to use in an interview and employers are going to really value that.”
Mentorship from MathWorks engineers helped Jorge refine his skills in Model-Based Design, simulation, and software validation using MatLab and SimuLink. Over time, he developed a systems-level perspective, understanding how propulsion, communication, and integration intersect. This experience directly supported his transition into a full-time role as an EDG Engineer at MathWorks, where he continues to apply the same practices he learned in EcoCAR. Jorge states “the technological skills that I learned from my experience, I use them on a daily basis, more specifically in controls and LiDAR data processing, which is what I did [in EcoCAR].”
Kelly and Jorge’s stories highlight the broader impact of EcoCAR and the transition to the workforce. Beyond vehicle design, students gain hands-on experience operating within real engineering ecosystems, collaborating across disciplines, and engaging directly with industry mentors. EcoCAR prepares graduates not only to enter the workforce but to make an immediate impact, combining technical expertise with professional confidence.
