By: Andrew Lambrecht and Vishwas Power
Fostering new partnerships and campus connections has been one of the primary goals set forth by Clemson University & Greenville Technical College’s Battery Workforce Challenge team. That goal soon came to fruition earlier in November, when Stellantis’ Micky Bly and Teresa Thiele — senior vice presidents of the automaker’s Global Propulsion Systems and Global Purchasing Programs, respectively — toured Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research.
The crew is one of 12 teams competing in the U.S. Department of Energy’s three-year collegiate competition to design, build, test and integrate an advanced EV battery into a future Stellantis vehicle
Here Bly and Thiele toured the CU-ICAR’s garage space and research lab facilitiess. The two were greeted by Clemson University & Greenville Technical College’s BattChallenge faculty advisors, managers and students. Tours of the state-of-the-art garage space were provided by Clemson University’s Zoran Filipi, director of the School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering; Laine Mears, chair of the Department of Automotive Engineering; Robert Prucka, director of The Deep Orange Program; and other CU-ICAR faculty members and partnership office managers.
Highlights from the tour stops include the Deep Orange 15 Designs — CU-ICAR’s flagship program where students collaboratively work for two years to design, build, test and produce a new vehicle, the Powertrain Lab and the AVL Hybrid Truck Engine Dyno. Each project incorporates breakthrough product innovations and new processes, providing students with hands-on experience in vehicle design, engineering, prototyping and production.
Bly and Thiele were given the opportunity to speak with students and faculty members working on diverse research projects to gauge the breadth and depth of the automotive program at Clemson University. The Clemson University & Greenville Technical College BattChallenge team gained insights as to how legacy automakers operate, which helps prepare the students for the upcoming stages of the competition as they build their battery designs.
The Clemson University & Greenville Technical College team is comprised of undergrad students, unlike the Deep Orange program, and aspires to build upon such rich foundations and acquire the knowledge and skills required for battery-based vehicles as part of the Battery Workforce Challenge.
Nathan Kilcoyne, a Clemson University senior packaging science student who met with Bly and Thiele, is eager to get started on the Battery Workforce Challenge, hoping to take his knowledge about EVs and apply it to to real-world projects.
“I am excited about the start of a new project that requires so much new knowledge for me that I don’t have the expertise in,” Kilcoyne said. “It’s a new opportunity to learn.”
The Clemson University & Greenville Technical Challenge BattChallenge team appreciates the enthusiasm and interest of Stellantis, especially Micky Bly and Teressa Thiele who took time out of their busy schedules to talk with students and tour the CU-ICAR facilities. With a passion for electric vehicles and dedication towards building a skilled workforce, the our team is geared to create a productive learning environment that closely aligns with the three pillars of Stellantis’ Dare Forward 2030 plan — care, tech and value.
