Ohio State University Races to the Finish as the Winner of EcoCAR 2

Hat tip: an ad that's been running for a few days on WTOP, an all-news, traffic, and weather radio station in DC.

Ohio State University Races to the Finish as the Winner of EcoCAR 2

Rebecca Matulka
Digital Communications Specialist, Office of Public Affairs

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EcoCar 2, a collaboration between the Energy Department and General Motors, challenges collegiate teams to develop innovative ways to improve the fuel economy and reduce the environmental impact of a vehicle without compromising its performance, safety or consumer acceptance. Over the course of the competition, EcoCAR 2 put students’ skills to the test while providing them with hands-on, real-world experience to become clean energy leaders.

To start, teams were challenged to incorporate advanced technology components -- including electric drive powertrains (the part of the car that converts power from the fuel source into the mechanical power needed to drive the wheels) and battery systems -- into an existing vehicle. After using software to model their proposed vehicle architecture, GM provided each team with a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu to transform into an advanced plug-in hybrid vehicle that can compete with the most fuel-efficient cars on the market. The teams then followed a real-world engineering process based on the same process GM uses for developing its own vehicles to re-engineer the vehicle with their advanced design.

During EcoCAR 2 Year 1, teams focused on designing their vehicles -- including virtually testing their cars’ architectures and developing all the systems necessary to turn their vehicles into plug-in hybrids. In the second year, teams redesigned their physical vehicles using cutting-edge automotive engineering processes. Year 2 finals culminated with on-road vehicle testing at the same proving grounds course that GM uses to test its own vehicles.
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Ohio State University’s vehicle came out on top after taking the lead in multiple categories, including best pre-competition safety & technical inspection, lowest criteria emissions and best communications plan. Last night, the team won 14 awards -- and a total of 21 awards over the course of the Year 3 competition -- for their plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that runs on electricity and E85. This setup gives the car about 40 miles of all-electric driving with an additional 150-250 miles of driving using the internal combustion engine.

There's nothing to see here but a bunch of engineering students and their faculty advisors.

EcoCAR 2: Meet the Teams Part I

EcoCAR 2: Meet the Teams Part II

EcoCAR 2: Meet the Teams Part III

I, for one, welcome our new engineering student overlords. I'm sorry I took your lunch money. Please turn off the death ray.

The video is from 2011:



Friday: Wondering if there was anything to see, I called over to DOE. The answer: you should have been here yesterday. It was a big show. They were letting people drive the cars.

That's me for you: a day late and a dollar short. I should have looked into this sooner.

OSU entry wins EcoCAR 2 competition

By Dan Gearino The Columbus Dispatch • Friday June 13, 2014 11:53 AM

Ohio State University students have won a national automotive competition.
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The competition is managed by Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. Student participants often go on to engineering jobs with automotive companies. ... In the three-year cycle, organizers name winners each year for different stages of the design and building process. Ohio State has had teams for EcoCAR and then EcoCAR 2, finishing near the top each year, but this is the team’s first win since 2009.

The OSU team includes 15 graduate students and 30 undergraduates. ... Now that the cycle is complete, the teams will move on to EcoCAR 3, which begins in the fall with the redesign of a Chevrolet Camaro.

dgearino@dispatch.com

@dispatchenergy