Organizers Kick Off Year Three with the Fall Faculty Advisory Board

EcoCAR 3 organizers gathered at California State University, Los Angeles, (CSULA) for the Fall 2016 Faculty Advisory Board (FAB) meeting to help the 16 schools in the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) commence their work in the third year of program.

The new FAB members for Year Three are: Jerry Ku, Wayne State University; Andrew Nix, West Virginia University, Doug Nelson, Virginia Tech, and Randy Follett, Mississippi State University. These faculty advisors act as liaisons between the teams involved in the competition and the EcoCAR 3 organizers to keep communication clear and professional.

Over the weekend, the FAB discussed the non-year specific rules, yearly event rules, the Year Three timeline for the teams, as well as beginning on-road vehicle testing for schools. This board of four faculty advisors also had the opportunity to provide feedback on areas of the EcoCAR 3 competition, including their perspective on the EcoCAR 3 activities to ensure that deadlines are appropriate with the amount of work assigned.

Some of the EcoCAR 3 organizers had the chance to take a brief tour of CSULA’s EcoCAR garage and their beautiful campus that is overflowing with palm trees and sunshine. The CSULA EcoCAR 3 team was also given the privilege to sit down with the organizers for some in-depth discussion time.

Thank you to CSULA for hosting the Year Three Fall FAB meeting! Check out the images from the Fall FAB meeting below:

 

The post Organizers Kick Off Year Three with the Fall Faculty Advisory Board appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/149697796887

Innovation Through Opportunity: General Motors’ Support of Ohio State EcoCAR

The next generation of innovators are already in the garage, designing and building the future of the automotive industry with the help of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors (GM).  Sixteen schools from across North America are integrating designs to transform their 2016 Chevrolet Camaro into performance hybrid vehicles. Not only does GM donate a Camaro to each team, they provide students with mentors and invaluable opportunities. By being involved in the competition, students have access to professionals and programs for support and learning opportunities. Each team is assigned a GM mentor to guide them through the vehicle development process. Students also have the opportunity to innovate and grow professionally through internships and career possibilities with GM, as well as other competition sponsors.

Watch the video to learn more about the impact GM has had on Ohio State EcoCAR:

The post Innovation Through Opportunity: General Motors’ Support of Ohio State EcoCAR appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/149506953822

EcoCAR 3 Intern Spends the Summer at Argonne National Laboratory

Clare Maloney has been participating in Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions (AVTC) since EcoCAR 2 where she found her start with the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) EcoEagles.  She is currently working on her Bachelor’s of Science in Communications at ERAU and will graduate in May, 2017.  She is currently the communications manager for the ERAU EcoCAR 3 team and she spent her summer interning for the AVTC group, more commonly known as the EcoCAR 3 organizers, at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL).

Tucked away in the suburbs outside of Chicago, ANL, managed by the University of Chicago and the U.S. Department of Energy, is recognized for their unique research facilities including the Center of Nanoscale Materials, a super computer capable of carrying out 10 quadrillion calculations per second, and the Transportation Research and Analysis Computing Center. Like the EcoCAR 3 teams, ANL is a multidisciplinary research center that works alongside experts from the industry, as well as other government laboratories to address challenges in national security, clean energies and upcoming technologies.

This summer, Clare worked with the Communications and Logistics group on the AVTC team to wrap up Year Two and transition into Year Three of EcoCAR 3. Clare’s internship projects included researching numerous AVTC alumni and compiling blog posts to add to the “Where Are They Now?” Green Garage Blog series as well as gathering data on the EcoCAR 3 media hits and the youth events held between the sixteen schools in the competition. When Clare wasn’t busy with those tasks, she drafted several blogs that included new strategies found by completing in-depth research on modern writing. Clare also learned several valuable lessons in time management, amplified her writing skills, and mastered the practice on following through events and measuring the results. When Clare was not in the office, you could find her on North Avenue Beach soaking up the sun with her roommates, shopping in Wicker Park, or eating brunch at a new find in the Windy City.

Thank you for a great summer Clare!

The post EcoCAR 3 Intern Spends the Summer at Argonne National Laboratory appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/149366483947

Tools for Success: Courtesy of Snap-on

Wrench…machine…weld…repeat. The West Virginia University EcoCAR 3 team has been hard at work in the garage transforming the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro into an innovative hybrid that can perform just as well as the original stock model vehicle. And with high-quality tools and diagnostics equipment from Snap-on, the team is conquering the competition’s mechanical challenges with the precision and accuracy of automotive professionals.

Thanks to the American tools manufacturer, whose mission is “to provide the most-valued productivity solutions in the world,” the WVU, team has confidence in its work, knowing that the Snap-on tools they’re using on campus are the same ones used by industry professionals. Snap-on’s quality products and dedication to education and mentorship allow WVU’s team to focus more fully on bringing their visions of innovation and outstanding vehicle performance to life.

Check out the video below to learn more about Snap-on’s impact on the WVU team:

The post Tools for Success: Courtesy of Snap-on appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/149125454252

How GT Prepares for Success

At the Year Two Competition, Georgia Tech’s EcoCAR 3 team showed excellent preparation for both stages of the event: vehicle performance testing and presentations detailing their research conducted this semester. From their careful and tactful build of their 2016 Chevrolet Camaro to their execution of dynamic events in Yuma, AZ, the team exuded confidence in their final product for competition. Through several contributions on the team, their wiring harness construction on their vehicle led to a start of the vehicle on the first turn over of the ignition – definite bragging rights for this team. Through their successful integration of their entire powertrain, Georgia Tech was one of the teams to have a functioning vehicle at final competition.

Here are some shots of their engineers hard at work throughout the year:

Mechanical engineers installing motor components on the car

The mechanical team is hard at work water-jetting new components

Two of the GT engineers cutting a component of the drive shaft with a band saw

The electrical team busy crimping a lug for the Energy Storage System ( ESS )

GT team members always fill up the CAD room as they prepare and update parts

One of the GT chemical engineers proud of his ESS harness

The team is hard at work at the GM Desert Proving Grounds in Yuma, AZ

The team graciously takes a moment to pause for a photo op

The team’s hard work paid off when they were able to see their vehicle up and running out on the track

The post How GT Prepares for Success appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/148979204927

dSPACE: Making success and safety possible for EcoCAR 3 at Virginia Tech

EcoCAR 3, the nation’s premier collegiate engineering competition, challenges 16 universities to transform a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro into a hybrid electric vehicle. One sponsor vital to the safety of the hybrid Camaro for the Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team of Virginia Tech is dSPACE, the leading producer of engineering tools for developing and testing mechatronic controls systems. “With the help of dSPACE, we’ve been able to follow through with one of our main goals of developing a functional and safe controls strategy that will enable us to run our Camaro as a hybrid electric vehicle,” said Jack Stevenson, the Systems, Modeling and Simulation Subteam Leader for Virginia Tech.

Check out the following video to hear more on how dSPACE helps EcoCAR 3 at Virginia Tech succeed:

The post dSPACE: Making success and safety possible for EcoCAR 3 at Virginia Tech appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/148785883927

Fast N’ Loud Returns August 29, 2016!

Well, have you missed us? Don’t worry, we’ve been hard at work here building and flipping cars every day and the cameras have been right here with us. A lot of people tend to assume when the show isn’t on, we’re not working, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. If it were up to us, Gas Monkey would be on your TVs everyday! But Discovery gets to make that schedule, and premiere date for the new season has finally been released!

On Monday, August 29 at 9/8c, we’ll have a one-hour special where we’ll answer fan questions and reminisce on some of our favorite moments here at GMG. We’ll even let you in on an epic failure of a build that never made it on the air!

Then on Monday, September 5 at a special time of 8/7c, our brand-spanking new episodes start taking over your Motor Mondays! Fast N’ Loud is on at a special time on the 5th (8/7c instead of 9/8c) because of the premiere of the three-night Harley and the Davidsons series, which will air at 9/8c. We might just be taking on a Harley of our own that night!

I hear we might even have 10 episodes this season unlike the 6 we had last season. Keep your fingers crossed.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/148705802527

Where Are They Now: Taylor Kidd

During her three years with the Pennsylvania State EcoCAR team, former Communications Manager Taylor Kidd quickly fell in love with Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions. She spent her time on the team writing reports, hosting community events, and managing various social media outlets. Kidd graduated with a duel major in public relations and economics, with a minor in business.  Following graduation in 2013, Kidd was a writer at the Pennsylvania State Senate and then established her current career as a marketing specialist at AVL, an AVTC competition sponsor. Kidd regularly meets with different departments at AVL to ensure she’s conveying information both accurately and clearly, much like what she did in EcoCAR.

“EcoCAR taught me to translate complex information into something everyone can understand,” she said. “You’d be surprised how useful that skill is.”

During her time at Penn State, Kidd became a part of her school’s public relations firm that worked with clients from the university and the surrounding town. EcoCAR was one of these clients, and she was assigned to the multi-disciplinary project after her interview with the firm. Kidd devoted much of her free-time to the project and eventually worked her way to the top position of communications manager her senior year.

Soon after joining EcoCAR, Kidd found herself enjoying one task more than others: writing deliverables for the competition.

“I could directly relate the communications plan and media reports to what I was learning in class, and it made things feel more real,” said Kidd.

When she wasn’t busy cranking out reports, Kidd focused on her team’s work dynamic.

“As the communications manager, I felt like it was part of my unofficial job to help the whole team bond. I think our team was successful in a large part because we were friends,” she said. “We worked harder because we didn’t want to let each other down.”

The most valuable piece of advice Kidd has for current students in the EcoCAR 3 competition is to ask for help. She found that most people want to genuinely help students succeed, adding that it never hurts to ask.

AVTCs have greatly impacted Kidd’s life. Not only did she gain lifelong friendships from her time on her EcoCAR team, but she even met her future husband; the wedding’s set for next June.

Luckily, Kidd’s role in AVTCs has not come to an end. This past year at the EcoCAR 3 Year Two Competition, she returned as a sponsor representing AVL.

Her experience with the EcoCAR competition exemplifies the goal of AVTC’s: to provide students with real world, hands on experience to help them succeed in their fields.  Along with the other sponsors, the US Department of Energy, General Motors, and Argonne National Laboratory strive to give all AVTC students similar high quality training while they’re participating in the competitions.

The post Where Are They Now: Taylor Kidd appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/148687949892

Siemens PLM Software Plays a Critical Role in the Success of MSU EcoCAR 3

Industry-level sponsors are essential to the efforts of the MSU EcoCAR 3 team throughout the entirety of the competition. One sponsor that has a strong and positive impact on the team is Siemens PLM Software. During the Year Two competition, the MSU team received the 1^st place Siemens PLM Software Excellence Award by showing an effective use of NX design and simulation software during Year Two. The team successfully demonstrated how Siemens tools were utilized to execute a Model-Based Design philosophy and streamline the design process. Throughout the course of this video, MSU Project Manager, Stephen Hayes, will highlight how Siemens PLM Software plays critical a role in the success of the MSU EcoCAR 3 Team.

Check out the MSU EcoCAR 3 team’s collaboration with Siemens here:

The post Siemens PLM Software Plays a Critical Role in the Success of MSU EcoCAR 3 appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/148443886267

Announcing the Year Three Fall Workshop

Year Three is officially here for EcoCAR 3 students! This year, each team will be optimizing their vehicles for on-road testing.

From September 28^th – October 1^st, each of the 16 schools from across North America will gather in Natick, Massachusetts for the Fall Workshop, hosted by Mathworks. Throughout this four day workshop, the teams will learn more about the Year Three competition rules, deliverables, and other EcoCAR 3 events occurring through the year. The teams will also receive extensive training provided to them through competition-level sponsors, including: U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors, Argonne National Laboratory, MathWorks, dSPACE, Freescale, AVL Powertrain, Siemens, GKN, Ricardo, Tesa Tape, Champlain, Mentor Graphics, Weber Shandwick, and more.

On top of the widespread technical training, Communications Managers and Project Managers will each follow a content specific track where they will learn more about their deliverables throughout the year and different ways to enhance their specific focus areas. The Communications Managers will receive social media training, as well as media training and Project Managers will focus primarily on leadership training and executive plan development.

Over the course of the workshop, teams will also have the opportunity to attend the Sponsor Social Networking and Recruiting event and an evening dinner sponsored by MathWorks.

We look forward to seeing the 16 teams, sponsors and organizers at the Year Three Fall Workshop!

The post Announcing the Year Three Fall Workshop appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/148346120842