The Department of Energy is working with General Motors and software firm MathWorks for a competition that would task 15 engineering student teams to research and experiment on battery electric vehicle technologies.
DOE said Friday it will provide $6 million to fund the development and demonstration of clean energy technologies under the four-year EcoCAR Electric Vehicle Challenge.
Each team will work on a GM-provided Cadillac LYRIQ all-electric vehicle to showcase the feasibility of connected and automated vehicle systems to improve energy efficiency and of sensors and connectivity capabilities to transfer electricity from the car to external applications.
The agency will award prize money to a winner every year based on the participants’ car design and process.
“Collegiate competitions like EcoCAR are critical to building a clean energy talent pipeline that reflects the diversity of America and make room for more domestic manufacturing to strengthen our energy independence,” explained Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
The selected participants are:
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Bethune-Cookman University
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Illinois Institute of Technology
- McMaster University
- Ohio State University and Wilberforce University
- University of Alabama
- University of California, Riverside
- University of California, Davis
- University of Texas, Austin
- University of Waterloo
- Virginia Tech
- West Virginia University