Written by: Savannah Fort
Sponsors provide the hardware, software, training, and support that teams need to integrate technology into the competition vehicle, the 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ. These sponsorships give teams access to components and systems that would otherwise be too expensive or unavailable to students.
Located in Metro Detroit, Supporter-level sponsor, Dataspeed, specializes in autonomous research and the development of vehicle integrations that supply engineers with data on algorithms and sensors. Dataspeed is dedicated to building innovative autonomous vehicle solutions that are safe, dependable, and cost-effective.
Dataspeed is an integral part of the EcoCAR EV Challenge series as they provide the intelligent Power Distribution System (iPDS) for the teams and are known as the trusted leaders in the autonomous vehicle and the advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) industry. The iPDS provides a flexible solution to powering the test vehicle’s instrumentation, computers, and sensors. Featuring twelve channels, the on-board computer controls the power sequencing and reports the electrical current and health status.
The Mississippi State University team uses the system to distribute power to the Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) components of the vehicle. It is considered a “smart power distribution system” because the team can control and monitor the Controller Area Network (CAN) channels that are powered. All the CAV components, including the controller, secondary compute platform, and all sensors, will be powered through individual channels on the iPDS.
The Mississippi State University EcoCAR team is grateful for the support of partners such as Dataspeed that propel their progress towards innovation in the automotive industry.
