Summary
– The Ohio State/Wilberforce University Team won the Year Two champion of the EcoCAR Electric Vehicle Challenge
– The competition focuses on building an EV talent pipeline and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors, and MathWorks
– The teams received a 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ to reengineer and complete various technical EV challenges
– Vehicles are tested on safety, acceleration, energy consumption, and handling characteristics
– The competition took place in Yuma, Arizona and Phoenix, with Ohio State/Wilberforce University Team scoring the highest points
Article
In the EcoCAR Electric Vehicle (EV) Challenge, the Ohio State/Wilberforce University Team emerged as the Year Two champion, with Georgia Tech and McMaster University following in second and third place, respectively. The competition involved various vehicle events and presentations to judges, aiming to ensure that the vehicles functioned as expected. Managed by Argonne National Laboratory and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), General Motors (GM), and MathWorks, the EcoCAR EV Challenge fosters talent in automotive engineering education and aims to develop an EV talent pipeline among 15 North American universities. Teams received the 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ in Fall 2023 and worked on reengineering the vehicle to meet complex technical EV challenges while maintaining consumer expectations for performance.
During Year Two of the EV Challenge, teams focused on enhancing the propulsion system and connected and automated vehicle system components vehicle integration. The vehicles had to undergo technical inspection, baseline testing, and subsystem designs to ensure readiness for the final competition. The Ohio State University and Wilberforce University EcoCAR team collaborated to compete in the challenge, aiming to equip students with skills and experience necessary for their future careers in the automotive industry. The competition in Year Two assessed the vehicles through various tests, including the On-Road Safety Evaluation, acceleration test, endurance and energy consumption test, and longitudinal control test to evaluate dynamic handling characteristics and safety in real-world driving situations.
The winning team scored 781 out of 1,000 total points, with Georgia Tech following closely with 756 points and McMaster University earning 750 points. Chris Trush, Director at GM, congratulated the Ohio State and Wilberforce University team on their win and praised the students for gaining hands-on experience and necessary skills for careers in the automotive industry. The final competition for Year Two took place in Yuma, Arizona, and Phoenix, where teams showcased their reengineered vehicles and participated in various challenges. MathWorks provided students with simulation, testing, and validation products to control the newly integrated propulsion systems and controls software on their LYRIQs, allowing them to expand their knowledge of the automotive industry.
The EcoCAR EV Challenge is a four-year collegiate engineering program that builds on the successful history of the Department of Energy Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions. More than 30,000 students from 111 educational institutions have participated in the competition, helping redefine the automobile industry over the last three decades. The competition is managed by Argonne National Laboratory, and sponsors like GM provide hardware, software, and training to participating teams. The use of Model-Based Design, facilitated by MathWorks through MATLAB and Simulink, enables teams to manage projects effectively and develop complex embedded systems. GM provides each team with a Cadillac LYRIQ and technical mentoring to support them throughout the competition.
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