Ohio State EcoCAR team receives awards and recognition at Year One Competition

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Ohio State EcoCAR 2 team is among 15 collegiate teams competing in a three year challenge to re-engineer a GM-donated 2013 Chevy Malibu. The universities competing in EcoCAR 2 gathered in Los Angeles for six days of judged competition this week with $100,000 in prize money up for grabs.

"The level of the team's dedication and the magnitude of their technical achievements even exceeds their impressive list of competition awards," says faculty advisor, Shawn Midlam-Mohler. "The team will be building the vehicle they designed over the next year and are looking forward to another top finish in this premier advanced vehicle technology competition."

Year One of the competition series emphasized engineering design through modeling and simulation to select and virtually test the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle architecture. Teams also started developing their hybrid control strategy using hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation tools and designing major vehicle subsystems, including hybrid powertrain, energy storage, and high-voltage electrical systems. The OSU EcoCAR 2 team was extremely successful in receiving recognition for their work in all of the key areas of modeling, simulation and control. The Ohio State team received:

    Mathworks Modeling Award, for superior and innovative approach to model based design and control
    dSpace Embedded Success Award, for use of real-time control hardware and software
    1st place in the Final Controller Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) evaluation.
    Overall score of 919 points of 1000

Throughout the competition events, EcoCAR 2 teams put their designs to the test, giving presentations to industry and government professionals based on their mechanical, electrical, control and HIL strategies, project initiation approval, outreach and business plans, and trade show display. The Ohio State team took a number of other awards, including:

    2nd place, Project Initialization Approval event
    3rd place, Controls Presentation
    3rd place, Business Program
    2nd place, Tradeshow Presentation
    3rd place, overall Outreach Program
    1st place Skit Video
    Best Creative Outreach Event
    Outstanding Women in Engineering Award: Amanda Hyde, M.S. candidate in MAE

Giorgio Rizzoni, faculty advisor to the team, "The EcoCAR experience is a perfect complement to the high quality engineering education our students receive in the  classroom. EcoCAR embodies all of the best attributes of the experiential education we strive to deliver in the Ohio State College of Engineering, and we are proud to be a part of this prestigious program."

Now that their vehicle architectures are finalized, the 15 teams also received the keys to the GM-donated 2013 Chevrolet Malibu they will spend the next two years rebuilding, testing, and refining. The Ohio State team is already at work. Follow the team at: http://ecocar2.osu.edu/.

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About EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future
EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future is a three-year collegiate engineering program that builds on the successful 24-year history of Department of Energy advanced vehicle technology competitions by giving engineering students the chance to design and build advanced vehicles that demonstrate leading-edge, eco-friendly automotive technologies. General Motors provides each of the 15 competing teams with a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, as well as vehicle components, seed money, technical mentoring and operational support. The U.S. Department of Energy and its research and development facility, Argonne National Laboratory, provide competition management, team evaluation and logistical support. Through this important public/private partnership, EcoCAR 2 provides invaluable experience and training to promising young minds entering the North American job market. EcoCAR 2 follows the widely acclaimed competition series EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge.