NC State students plug into future in EcoCAR 2 competition

Engineering students at North Carolina State University are vying for the top prize in a US Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors (GM)-sponsored competition to build the next generation of energy-efficient vehicles.

NC State is one of 15 universities participating in “EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future,” a three-year competition in which students are tasked with reducing the environmental impact of a GM-donated 2013 Chevrolet Malibu without compromising its performance, safety and acceptability to consumers.

“The EcoCAR competition gives our talented students real-world experience toward engineering a new generation of vehicles that are safe, high-performing and eco-friendly,” said Dr. Louis A. Martin-Vega, dean of the College of Engineering at NC State. “Our participation is just another example of how NC State engineers continue to develop effective solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”

Teams will receive $25,000 during the first year of the competition to develop their vehicle design. During the final two years of the competition, teams will build the vehicle and continue testing and improving it. The re-engineered vehicles will later compete in a weeklong series of tests that are similar to the ones used by GM to determine whether a prototype is ready for production.

The competition, managed by Argonne National Laboratory, is the second in the EcoCAR student competition series. NC State also participated in the first competition. Project supporters from government and industry have donated computer software, hardware, automotive components, tools and other items to NC State valued at $47.6 million.

Dr. Eric Klang, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, will lead the team. Klang currently advises NC State’s Wolfpack Motorsports club, which consists of two teams that design, build and race Baja and Formula SAE (Society of Automobile Engineers) racecars for competition. He is the founder of the nationally recognized club.

DOE has sponsored similar competitions in partnership with Natural Resources Canada and the North American auto industry for more than 23 years. More than 16,500 students have participated in EcoCAR 2 competition.