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The Mississippi State EcoCAR team received an official racing trailer this week! It will be used to transport the team’s EcoCAR vehicle to off-site events.
You won’t miss this trailer when it rides into town - it is fully wrapped with the MSU logo, a racing flag and a picture of Bully the mascot!
Check it out in the video below:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mvTgD4hGaY]
Tags: EcoCAR, Mississippi State, racing
You’re going to have to wait one more week to find out! We will be announcing the first, second and third place Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) and Web site winners on February 3rd. HIL is a rapid control system testing technology that will help bring the students’ vehicle designs from concept to the road. Check in at noon ET to see which teams took the top spots at the Winter Workshop.
Mark your calendars!
Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association
In the fall semester, Philip Kwan, a member of the University of Waterloo’s sponsorship team, submitted a paper on recycling cars for his waste management course. One of the key findings in his research paper highlighted Ontario’s automotive recycling efforts – this included the work of the Ontario Automotive Recycling Association (OARA). It was suggested that OARA would be great potential sponsor for the University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team (UWAFT) as it aligns with the team’s objective to promote sustainable transportation. Philip took the initiative to submit his paper to OARA and asked if they would be interested in sponsoring UWAFT during the EcoCAR competition. As a result, the association agreed to be a Platinum Sponsor!
So, what is the OARA?
“The Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association has been the voice of the auto recycling industry in Ontario since 1992. OARA has kept auto recyclers informed and involved with input and information into current industry trends and government legislative initiatives that affect auto recyclers. In addition, as the membership grows, numerous membership benefits are now available to enhance each member’s business opportunities, productivity and profitability.”
On behalf of UWAFT, we would like to thank OARA for partnering with us during the EcoCAR Challenge! To learn more about OARA, please visit www.oara.com.
Tags: EcoCAR, Ontario Automotive Recycling Association, recycling, University of Waterloo
Cindy Svestka on the cover of Woman Engineer Magazine
Cindy Svestka isn’t just a female engineer. She’s a shining example for men and women everywhere who want to have an impact on advanced vehicle technology.
Cindy started off like a lot of students, not really knowing how she was going to make her mark and what career she wanted to pursue. However, she did have an eagerness to learn and an interest in cars and helping others and wanted to make a difference. After joining the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) program as a student, she and everyone around her quickly learned that automotive technology was not only an interest, but a passion that she immersed herself in with intense commitment and dedication. As a team leader in the Ethanol Vehicle Challenge, Cindy stood out among the others because of her exceptional leadership and teamwork skills, her meticulous attention to detail, and her passion for the project. Now, after more than ten years in the AVTC program, Cindy has translated those skills into a successful career and serves as an example to thousands of current and future engineering students of how hard work and commitment can take you far.
After graduating from Utah State university in 1998, Cindy took a job at Argonne National Laboratory as the technical coordinator on the AVTC program where she he helped organize and manage the Ethanol Vehicle Challenge and FutureTruck competitions.
After two years at Argonne, Cindy joined the General Motors team. Cindy spent her first four years at GM in the fuel system group and eventually took on the role of lead design engineer on the launch of the ethanol (E85) flex-fuel systems for the full-size pick-up and SUV applications. In 2004, Cindy took over responsibility for the energy and drive quality performance of the Chevrolet HHR. After successfully launching the Chevrolet HHR program, Cindy joined GM’s hybrid vehicle group and worked on meeting fuel economy and vehicle performance targets for the 2009 Saturn VUE Two-Mode Hybrid program.
Cindy graduated with a Master of Science degree in engineering from Purdue University in 2006. In August 2007, she took the role of executive technical assistant and business process manager for GM’s Powertrain/Vehicle Integration group.
During her time at GM, Cindy has remained active in supporting the AVTC program, supporting the 2001 FutureTruck competition and serving as the GM technical lead for Challenge X in 2005 and 2006. She continues to support the AVTC program as a member of the steering committee for EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge.
Tags: Advanced Technology Vehicle Competition, Argonne National Laboratory, Cindy Svestka, EcoCAR, GM
Chevy Volt on display at 2010 Detroit Auto Show
Last week at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, General Motors’ Vice Chairman, Bob Lutz, announced that GM would make a 100% battery-electric version of the Chevy Volt by removing the gas engine and expanding the battery pack.
It is uncertain when it will happen, but exciting news nonetheless! It will be interesting to find out the vehicle’s electric range and estimated price.
What are your thoughts on GM’s idea of making a full-function electric vehicle?
Another big story that ties back to the EcoCAR program is Fisker Automotive choosing EcoCAR competition sponsor, A123Systems, as the battery supplier to power Fisker’s upcoming plug-in hybrid luxury vehicle, the Fisker Karma!
A123Systems was up against some hefty competition including, Advanced Lithium Power and Ener1 subsidiary EnerDel, so this was a big win for the company.
Production of the Karma is scheduled to begin this year, so keep your eye out for the cool car below!
The Fisker Karma
Tags: 2010 Detroit Auto Show, A123Systems, battery-electric, Chevy Volt, Fisker Automotive, Fisker Karma, GM
Controls team members Andrew Blazek and Zhenhua Zhu practice their Hardware-in-the-Loop demonstration
The West Virginia University EcoCAR team recently returned from the Winter Workshop in Daytona Beach, Florida, where they showcased their Hardware-in-the-Loop design and team Web site at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and the Daytona International Speedway.
“Presenting our Web site and outreach report to the judges was a great learning experience and something that will definitely benefit me in my career,” said Cate Mihelic, a WVU team member.
The workshop also gave the team an opportunity to meet industry experts from dSPACE, National Instruments, General Motors and Argonne National Laboratory.
WVU EcoCAR team members are now ready to devote their spring semester to working on their vehicle and preparing technical and outreach reports for the final competition in Yuma, AZ and San Diego, CA.
“We are serious about this competition,” said Brody Conklin, the WVU engineering team leader. “We performed well in Daytona and I think our team has a strong work ethic that will lead to success in May!”
The WVU EcoCAR team at the Sponsor Social at Daytona International Speedway
Tags: EcoCAR, GM, Hardware-in-the-Loop
The University of Wisconsin team returned to Madison today after five days in snowy Daytona Beach, Florida with new skills to prepare them for the final EcoCAR judging in May.
Last Wednesday, the team visited the Embry-Riddle EcoEagle Green Garage to use National Instruments’ Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) technology to develop a vehicle simulation model. National Instruments representatives were on hand to work with the teams and answer last minute questions.
An EcoCAR vehicle on display at the Speedway!
The workshop kicked off on Thursday and the Wisconsin team presented its outreach events and communication plan for Year Two as well as its Web site for judging. Later that afternoon, the team drove into the infield of the Daytona International Speedway to watch a demonstration on how the vehicles’ emissions output will be measured and judged in the final competition in May. A tool will be used that attaches to a car’s exhaust pipe and measures the emissions leaving the vehicle, including NOx, CO2 and hydrocarbons. In the demo, GM engineers showed the teams what needs to be left in the stock vehicle so that the emissions equipment can be installed safely and properly.
On Thursday evening, the EcoCAR organizers hosted a Sponsor Social for the universities with a special presentation from Doug Fehan of Corvette Racing. He spoke about the American Le Mans Series and how he has focused on teamwork through his successful race management career.
“It was really interesting to listen to an enthusiastic speaker,” said Drew Kosmoski, a mechanical engineering student on the Wisconsin EcoCAR team. “He has been very successful and inspires our team to work hard toward our goals this spring.”
Friday, team leader, Adam Richards, and graduate research assistant, Chris Meyer, presented the team’s Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) model to the judges. Adam and Chris showed the judging panel that faults could be found within the electrical system and how the vehicle would respond through the controls strategy. By using HIL, it simplifies the controls work because debugging can be done before anything is installed in the vehicle.
In the afternoon, the teams learned what will be tested and what constitutes a good score in the AVL drive quality event in May. To determine drive quality, sensors will be hooked up to the vehicle that measures pedal pressure and vehicle response. A good score would have a very predictable linear response with pedal position creating a smooth ride.
The Wisconsin team getting the details on the upcoming AVL drive quality event
Saturday, the final day of the workshop, the Wisconsin team split up into two tracks–outreach and technical. The outreach sessions covered social media and utilizing the Clean Cities Coalition. The technical track talked about spring inspections, competition rules and logistics. The teams had the opportunity to interact with GM and Argonne National Laboratory representatives and ask questions.
The day concluded with team photos, a tour of the Daytona International Speedway museum, a barbeque dinner and a speech from faculty advisor, Glenn Bower, on lessons learned in Year Two.
The University of Wisconsin EcoCAR team is now developing the spring semester’s plan and outlining deadlines in detail, so that they can be best prepared for May.
Tags: EcoCAR, GM, Hardware-in-the-Loop
It is hard to believe that it snowed in Daytona Beach this weekend, but the Winter Workshop was a great success nonetheless.
Below, the teams shared a few highlights with the Inside the Green Garage blog:
Not only did the University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team (UWAFT) win first place for best technical poster, their most memorable moment came at the Daytona 500 Experience. One of UWAFT’s outreach coordinators, Eric Mallia, managed to successfully operate the air wrench to execute a full-speed NASCAR pit-stop in 16 seconds!
UWAFT's Eric Mallia at the NASCAR pit-stop
The Missouri S&T team was thrilled to be able to watch the Le Mans Racing Series time trails from the infield stands of the Daytona 500 race track. The team was excited to see and hear the race cars as they drove around the track and they were close enough to see the red light on the tachometer as the drivers were shifting!
The Ohio State team took home third place in the technical poster competition, ending their week on a high note! The poster represented the vehicle architecture and simulations that were used to develop the team’s Hardware in the Loop (HIL) designs. Ohio State enjoyed taking a break from working on their car to spend time with the other teams and remember the work they’re doing to advance green technology.
Tags: EcoCAR, Ohio State, Texas Tech, University of Waterloo, Winter Workshop
Mentoring and teaching the youth can be a rewarding experience. EcoCAR sponsors and organizers often find it inspiring to help university students learn about the process of designing fuel-efficient vehicles and the EcoCAR students find it inspiring to teach elementary students about energy and green vehicle technology. One of those teaching moments happened on Saturday at the Daytona International Speedway race track.
While the EcoCAR students were attending the Winter Workshop and learning about new hardware and software for their vehicles, regional Boy Scouts came to the race track to spend the weekend and participate in various educational activities. EcoCAR organizers and students visited the Scouts on Saturday to show them one of the EcoCAR vehicles. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Boy Scouts, Daytona International Speedway, EcoCAR, energy, Winter Workshop
The EcoCAR Winter Workshop is in full swing in sunny Daytona Beach, Florida. The first two days were consumed with the teams’ Hardware-In-The-Loop (HIL) and Outreach presentations at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and demos at Daytona International Speedway.
Teams brought their HIL’s to the workshop to show how they’ve improved since we last saw them at Year One finals, and how they plan to continue fault testing their vehicles in Year Two. The level of the students’ controls knowledge impressed top industry experts and judges from dSPACE, National Instruments, General Motors, and Argonne National Lab. Mississippi State’s Tommy Frazier said, “We gained valuable experience presenting our HIL to top industry experts. Their feedback will allow us to create a great running vehicle for finals in May.”
While the HIL presentations were going on, the teams’ outreach coordinators presented what they’ve been up to the past few months. They’ve been busy! “We were excited to share the things we’ve been working on over the past few months and through the end of the year,” said Matt Johnson, ERAU Outreach Coordinator. Teams presented on their new Web sites, social media networking, and Year Two outreach activities. The judges were very impressed with the coordinators, and can’t wait to see what they do to close out the year.
The ERAU team posing in front of the Daytona International Speedway
Make sure to check out all the teams’ Facebook and Twitter pages to see how they’re gearing up for the competition finals in May!
Tags: Daytona International Speedway, Embry-Riddle, GM, HIL, Winter Workshop
