The Ohio State University has been named The EcoCAR Mobility Challenge Year One champion, taking the lead in the premier four-year collegiate engineering competition in the latest Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC). Rounding out the top three are Virginia Tech in second place and the University of Alabama in third place.
Throughout the year, the students strived to conceptualize and build the framework for their redesigned 2019 Chevrolet Blazers. There are no vehicles yet, so it’s up to the teams to engineer solutions from scratch, research user-interface components, powertrains and sensors to build around, as well as write and validate new code.
“American consumers and businesses rely on transportation every day for jobs, schools, and commerce. We need advanced energy technologies that enable affordable, reliable transportation options, strengthen energy security, and grow our economy,” said Daniel Simmons, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. “Students in the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge are our future innovators and technology leaders that will keep America’s transportation sector moving forward.”
This week, EcoCAR teams presented their plans for advanced propulsion systems, electrification, SAE Level 2 automation, and vehicle connectivity to improve the energy efficiency of a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer – all while balancing factors such as emissions, safety, utility, and consumer acceptability. Industry judges analyzed each team’s presentations in areas such as CAVs, CSMS, PIA, PSI, Project Strategy, and Target Market.
“The knowledge and skills these students developed during a year of vehicle architecture planning and design are highly coveted in industry,” said Dan Nicholson, vice president, Global Electrification, Controls, Software and Electronics, General Motors. “Our GM mentors enjoy working with each team and seeing the creativity and passion competitors have for creating advanced, efficient, connected vehicles. We congratulate Ohio State on their win, and we’re already looking forward to year two.”
Student competitions like EcoCAR Mobility Challenge help to prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers by providing hands-on technical experience, building collaboration skills and offering a project-based learning opportunity.“It’s always impressive to see the success students realize when tasked with solving real world engineering problems with industry-standard hardware and software,” said Lauren Tabolinsky, academic program manager, MathWorks.
The Buckeye’s earned 887 out of 1000 overall points available in Year One. For jumping to the top of the leaderboard, Ohio State will take home an extra $10,000 to further support the university’s advanced vehicle technology program.
Congratulations to all of the EcoCAR teams on their hard work and dedication throughout this first year of the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge. Thank you to all of our sponsors, team members, and faculty.
To view the full list of winners, click here!
