Written by: Grace McQuirter
As Year 3 of the EcoCAR EV Challenge is starting to come to an end, the Mississippi State University EcoCAR team made significant progress in vehicle development and system integration. The team recently traveled to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for further performance evaluations of the vehicle and data acquisition. The experience identified areas for improvement and reinforced the importance of troubleshooting and adaptability in a competitive engineering environment.
The team has accomplished much in Year 3. On the Propulsion Controls & Modeling (PCM) end, the vehicle has evolved from a prototype to a completely functional driving vehicle. The Connected & Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) subteam has also advanced adaptive cruise control (ACC) development with the successful implementation of hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulations that confirm the interaction between CAV and PCM controllers. Ahead of the Year 3 Competition, the team will be working towards implementing ACC. The data collected at CARB will be crucial in refining vehicle operations moving forward.
The team’s success would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of key members. Issac Alanis, future PCM lead and member of the PCM subteam, and Matthew Riggsbee, future Chief Engineer, and Senior PCM Lead, were actively involved in problem-solving and committing the time necessary to resolve issues. Their leadership and technical expertise were responsible for helping the team navigate the CARB event and laying the foundation for the improvements to follow.
As we close out Year 3, the Mississippi State EcoCAR team continues to work towards developing its vehicle and expanding the limits of advanced vehicle technology. With continued support from our sponsors and mentors, the team is well-positioned for further success as they enter Year 4 of the competition. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to innovate and drive forward in the EcoCAR EV Challenge!
