Wayne State University Visits Summit Academy High School

The Wayne State University EcoCAR 3 team recently visited Summit Academy High School situated in Romulus, Michigan, just outside of Detroit. For the first outreach event of the year, the team taught a supplementary lesson to Ms. Stefani’s physics class for grades 11 and 12.

The lesson started with a presentation by the team. This included an introduction to the EcoCAR 3 program, the importance of hybrid vehicle technologies and the team’s chosen architecture. The presentation went particularly into detail on what each of the major powertrain components were and how they worked together. Lastly, the team touched on the importance of STEM education and their associated career paths.

Following the presentation, students were put in pairs to work on the hands-on motor kit activity. The motor kit demonstrates how electrical energy can be converted into mechanical energy, in a similar fashion to what occurs in an electric vehicle. Each pair of students was able to work together, troubleshoot and successfully get the motor to run.

When asked for feedback about the visit, one student said “my favorite part was building the miniature motor. I love to tinker and have gained more knowledge about cars.” By working with these students, the team helped to educate and engage youth in engineering, hybrid technologies and pursuing an education and career in STEM. We look forward to welcoming these students to the team in the future!

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Five Fast Facts about PSU AVT

1.) In the past, the Pennsylvania State University Advanced Vehicle Team has met with the State College Mayor and Council, the State College Sustainability Council and has even been congratulated by the Pennsylvania Senate for our outreach events. These events are held on campus, downtown and elsewhere to increase community knowledge, interest and involvement in PSU AVT.

2.) Seventeen PSU AVT alumni were recruited for internships last year, for their work on the team and in the course. Engineering majors can take a course that focuses entirely on the EcoCAR 3 competition and join the PSU AVT design team. However, this class is not an easy A and requires a considerable time commitment!

3.) In the EcoCAR 2 competition, PSU AVT was tasked with redesigning a Chevy Malibu and received about $63 million in grants and in-kind donations from organizers and competition-level sponsors. While waiting on the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro to come in, we have been showing off the Malibu from EcoCAR 2.

4.) PSU AVT is a diverse group with members from not only the United States but Egypt, China and India as well! Our advisors, Tim Cleary, Eric Reischer and Ryan Noss, are all alumni of the team and love to show off their Penn State pride!

5.) We have over 1,000 followers on our EcoCAR 3 social media! Last year, we earned around 50,000 impressions per outreach event and predict we will overshoot that this year. You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for updates on our events and activities, as well as fun facts about Camaros, sustainability, PSU AVT members and more!

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Now Casting for a New TV Show With Richard Rawlings, Discovery and Pilgrim Studios

I’m working on a new TV show (currently called Garage Rehab) with Discovery and Pilgrim Studios and we’re casting now! Looking for successful shop owners, craftsmen, and people who own a shop that is troubled or failing. The links are below with more details and how to apply.

For the Right-Hand Man: http://www.pilgrimstudios.com/casting/garagerehabdirector/

For the Troubled Garage: http://www.pilgrimstudios.com/casting/garagerehabshop/

For the Handyman and Auto Equipment Installer: http://www.pilgrimstudios.com/casting/garagerehabteam/

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Embry-Riddle Hosts the Winter Faculty Advisory Board

EcoCAR 3 organizers from Argonne National Laboratory and General Motors kicked off 2016 by visiting Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida for the Winter Faculty Advisory Board (FAB) meeting. The FAB meets two times each year to discuss deliverables or evaluate any major changes to the program. Faculty members from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, University of Washington, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia University were all in attendance for the Winter FAB.

The FAB had a chance to provide feedback on areas of the EcoCAR 3 competition which covered associated swim lanes and upcoming presentations. The FAB also discussed plans for the upcoming static and dynamic events at the Year Two competition.

The ERAU EcoCAR 3 team had the opportunity to meet with organizers for one-on-one discussions and the team led the organizers on a tour of ERAU’s Green Garage. The organizers were even able to attend ERAU’s Camaro Unveiling event on Friday night.

Thank you to ERAU for hosting the Winter FAB! Here are some images from the Winter FAB:

          

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Winter FAB Meets At ERAU

EcoCAR 3 organizers from Argonne National Laboratory and General Motors kicked off 2016 by visiting Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida for the Winter Faculty Advisory Board (FAB) meeting. The FAB meets two times each year to discuss deliverables or evaluate any major changes to the program. Faculty members from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, University of Washington, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia University were all in attendance for the Winter FAB.

The FAB had a chance to provide feedback on areas of the EcoCAR 3 competition which covered associated swim lanes and upcoming presentations. The FAB also discussed plans for the upcoming static and dynamic events at the Year Two competition.

The ERAU EcoCAR 3 team had the opportunity to meet with organizers for one-on-one discussions and the team led the organizers on a tour of ERAU’s Green Garage. The organizers were even able to attend ERAU’s Camaro Unveiling event on Friday night.

Thank you to ERAU for hosting the Winter FAB! Here are some images from the Winter FAB at ERAU:

 

    

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Meet Brian “BMags” Magnuson, the Engineering Lead from the UW EcoCAR Team

Introducing, Brian Magnuson, the Engineering Lead for the EcoCAR 3 Team at the University of Washington.

Brian is a senior earning his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, studying embedded computer systems. He has been on the EcoCAR team for four years and has focused primarily on electrical component integration, HV modeling, and HV assembly. As the EcoCAR engineering lead, he coordinates and manages sub-team leads in collected efforts to take first in the competition. With a strong roster and a motivated team, this is more than attainable.

Brian started out as a “grunt laborer” as he claimed. His first project involved wiring up the engine into the vehicle. Him and his colleague, Ryan (now working on his master’s at Stanford in CS) basically divided the car in half. Brian wired from the rear, while Ryan wired from the front. They then met in the middle to do high voltage work toward the finished product. From then on, he was hooked. Now, he is the moved forward to be the engineering lead for the entire operation.

Magnuson came in during year two of EcoCAR 2. The organizational structure of the team has changed immensely, and results have shown a more efficient team. EcoCAR back then was “lean” as he stated. There was a couple of team leads, and sub-team leads (who did a majority of the work) “It was not a great organizational structure, and that had to change” he said. As a team and by his direction, they decided to add another layer to the organizational structure. Under each lead, was a sub-team lead, and under that sub-team lead, is a project lead. It has changed the atmosphere of the team and has made it much easier to manage and work together. With a sense of direction, everyone also has a sense of ownership within the project. Before, the electrical lead would do anything from working on control to IT, “that was too overwhelming for us, as students”.

Taking first place in the competition is obviously number one for everyone on the EcoCAR team at UW. However, Brian also hopes that they can even sell their work to General Motors, or at least allow them to take interest in the project. With an influx of hybrid vehicles already in the market, EcoCAR at UW is working on creating a much more efficient manner of using gas and hybrid technology to power the car. Above all, he hopes for more exposure in the public about everything behind EcoCAR.

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We Couldn’t Do It Without You – Dr. Ali Emadi

Professor Ali Emadi, Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Hybrid Powertrain and director of McMaster Institute for Automotive Research and Technology (MacAUTO), is an award-winning expert who is exceptionally passionate about educating and empowering the next generation of engineers and leaders for the energy and automotive industries. Dr. Emadi has established a solid research program focused on pioneering sustainable energy-efficient solutions, from advanced power electronic converters and electric motor drives to electric, hybrid electric, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

Dr. Emadi’s research group is a leader in electric-hybrid vehicular research. According to him, “One of the biggest challenges (and opportunities) of our time is in the area of energy and sustainability. Transportation is at the heart of this challenge (and opportunity) and electrification of vehicles is the best sustainable solution to move forward. We should increase the electrification level of vehicular systems as much as possible and as fast as possible.”

Upon his arrival at McMaster University, Dr. Emadi immediately set about resurrecting the McMaster Formula SAE team, one of the competitions longest running teams. Under his guidance the team shifted their focus from traditional internal combustion engines to hybrid powertrains, ushering in a new era in multidisciplinary experiential learning at McMaster University. In only 4 short years the McMaster Formula Hybrid Team went from newcomers to perennial front-runners. With multiple General Motors Best Engineered Hybrid, and IEEE Engineering the Future Awards, as well as top placements overall, Dr. Emadi and his team were poised to take on a new challenge.

The AVTC EcoCAR 3 competition is widely regarded as one of the top collegiate design and engineering competitions worldwide, and proved to be an ideal challenge by competing against the top 16 academic research programs in North America. With a 6^th place overall in the first year of EcoCAR 3, the best finish by a rookie team in AVTC history, McMaster Engineering EcoCAR 3 and Dr. Emadi are ready to bring about a vehicle revolution through ingenuity, student experiential learning and sustainability without compromise.

Dr. Emadi has been instrumental in the educational renaissance taking place at McMaster University. By taking learning outside the classroom, Dr. Emadi is giving his students the ability to apply what they have learned in class to a real world, high performance, and practical engineering problem with limited boundaries. This in turn has had a tremendous effect on his students, as many have found their true passions working with him on extracurricular vehicle projects, advancing on to successful careers all over the world. His commitment to experiential learning, and his students is second to none as he is available at all hours to answer questions and provide guidance related to technical issues, project management concerns, and communication messaging and execution.

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