A team of students from Virginia Tech took fourth place out of 11 teams in a competition administered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in coordination with General Motors (GM) and MathWorks. 

In this competition, 11 North American universities applied advanced vehicle technologies to a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer while considering emissions, safety, and consumer acceptability factors. Georgia Tech placed first, with The Ohio State University and the University of Alabama placing second and third respectively. 

This was the final year of a four-year competition which challenged teams to test, prove, and refine their work from the previous three years, mimicking a real-world automotive product development cycle. Each team was scored across multiple dynamic vehicle testing events ranging from energy consumption to acceleration and drive quality, as well as a 175-mile trek through the Arizona desert to test each vehicle’s thermal management, range, and overall durability. Teams also gave five scored presentations to more than 65 judges from government and industry, detailing vehicle designs and subsystems, team management and communications activities, and demonstrating the multidisciplinary aspect of their EcoCAR team.

With this series concluding, the next series was announced in April 2022. Virginia Tech was once again selected to participate, commiting to four years of work on a 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ.

For more information visit avtcseries.org

 

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