College Students Compete in EcoCAR2 to Improve Vehicle Efficiency

When General Motors looks to the future of automotive engineering, they literally look to the group that embodies what the next generation of innovation will look like: student engineers.?

As such, it sponsors EcoCAR2: Plugging In to the Future.
?
EcoCAR2 is a three-year competition that provides students from 15 universities real-world, hands-on experience and tasks them to improve the energy efficiency of an already efficient vehicle, the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu.?
?
Rounding out the first year of the competition in Los Angeles, Calif., the students competed for $100,000 in prize money, as well as the keys to their Malibu.?
?
Each team successfully designed? a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle architecture, developed a hybrid control strategy using hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation tools, and began designing hybrid powertrain, energy storage, and high-voltage electrical systems.? Industry and government professionals judged them on their mechanical, electrical, control and HIL strategies, project initiation approval, outreach and business plans, and trade show display.
?
"The design and simulation portion of this competition really challenges us to balance detailed engineering analysis with overall vehicle design trade-offs," said Matthew Doude, team leader for Mississippi State University.
?
Nine-year veteran Mississippi State University took the Year One grand prize with its series-parallel plug-in hybrid electric vehicle design.? MSU has won first place three times in GM-sponsored competitions.
?
"Mississippi State University's students brought tremendous ingenuity and innovation to their vehicle designs that will help them launch successful careers as leaders in the clean energy field, ensure the United States leads in the global auto industry, and create an American economy that's built to last," said Dr. David Danielson, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy.
?
The Ohio State University and The University of Waterloo came in second and third place, respectively.
?
Now that their vehicle architectures are finalized, the 15 teams will receive keys to their GM-donated 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, and will spend the next two years rebuilding, testing and refining it.
?
"Our goal is to provide students with the most realistic career experience, and we chose the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu for EcoCAR 2, as we believe it is a great platform to allow students to show us what they can do," said Kent Helfrich, Executive Director, electronic controls and software engineering, of General Motors. "The students are exercising their talents and are truly making great strides. We look forward to their developments over the next two years."
GM joins U.S. Department of Energy as headline sponsor, and 25 other government and industry leaders.

mitt romney tax return flip saunders academy award nominations cynthia nixon joe biden cspan state of the union drinking game