Eight members from the Penn State Advanced Vehicle Team will present a midterm report about the team’s progress during the EcoCAR 3 Winter Workshop this week in Austin, Texas.
The four-day workshop that begins Tuesday is one of two that teams from across the nation are required to attend as part of the EcoCAR3 competition, which challenges competitors over a four-year period from 2014-18 to reduce the environmental impact of a Chevrolet Camaro by using the latest technology and incorporating new ideas.
Throughout the four-year competition the teams will be judged annually. The first year of competition focuses on the design phase and winners will be decided this June. Teams will work with different software to examine various types of architecture, engine and motors as well as the type of fuel to be used. The teams will receive the actual car in the second year of the competition to put their virtual designs into place.
“If you think about it, the first year is like drawing the blueprints of a building,” said Donghee Lee, communications manager for the team.
Hosted by Argonne National Laboratory, this week’s workshop is designed to assess progress of the 16 teams from across the nation participating in the competition. Undergraduate students from each university team will make three presentations. The presentations include a stakeholder status update, a demonstration of the vehicle design and a review of innovation ideas for the vehicle.
Penn State freshmen Kyle Brown volunteered to present on a graduate-level topic at the workshop.
“I’m a little nervous but pretty excited,” Brown said, “I never thought I would be doing things like this my freshman year, especially knowing that there are seniors on the team.”
Other Penn State representatives made presentations at a similar workshop in October.
“The team always tries to send different members for each workshop,” said Lee. “We think it’s important to have as many different people experience the workshops as possible.”
The Penn State Advanced Vehicle Team consists of 70 people — a mix of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff.
In the earlier EcoCAR2 competition, Penn State clinched the top prize while modifying a Chevrolet Malibu.
The U.S. Department of Energy and its research and development facility, Argonne National Laboratory, provide competition management, team evaluation and logistical support during the competition. Through this important public/private partnership with General Motors, EcoCAR 3 provides invaluable experience and training.
The Penn State Advanced Vehicle Team does most of its work at the Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute. To learn more about the team, visitecocar3.org/pennstate.