{"689753":{"#nid":"689753","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Selected for Upcoming EcoCAR Challenge  ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech students will once again take part in a national competition that connects them directly with automotive industry leaders to develop the next generation of mobility innovations.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor the fourth consecutive cycle, Georgia Tech has been selected to participate in the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition\u2019s EcoCAR Challenge, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors, Stellantis, MathWorks, and other industry partners.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech is among 20 universities chosen for the four-year competition, which challenges students to apply emerging technologies \u2014 including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and exascale computing \u2014 to create intelligent mobility solutions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Institute is one of 10 schools competing on the General Motors track and has been provided a 2026 Chevrolet Blazer EV. During the cycle, the team will modify the vehicle\u2019s propulsion system to optimize efficiency and design connected and automated vehicle technologies without sacrificing safety or driving dynamics, closely mirroring industry goals.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecruitment for the competition will begin this spring, following the conclusion of the current cycle, which culminates in final competition events in Detroit in late May.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMade up of more than 50 undergraduate and graduate students from six of Georgia Tech\u2019s Colleges, the team reflects what faculty advisor Antonia Antoniou believes is the essence of the competition. Antoniou is a professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe have students represented from all over campus, and they have risen to meet every challenge,\u201d she said. \u201cThey work together to optimize, design, and execute these tasks. Everything you can think of that we do at Georgia Tech happens while we\u0027re working on this car \u2014 from engineering and design of hardware and software to communications.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAcross six subteams, EcoCAR members have transformed a Cadillac LYRIQ EV to include new motors, a selectable drivetrain, and automated driving features. After testing the vehicle in environments ranging from Georgia Tech\u2019s Student Competition Center to the Arizona desert, the team has earned multiple second-place finishes at competitions and first-place awards for presentation skills.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAntoniou, as well as David Taylor, a professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering who will enter his fifth cycle, will return for the latest challenge, and three new advisors will join the team, including Frank K. Webb Academic Professional Chair in Communication Skills in the Woodruff School Jill Fennell and associate professors Sam Coogan (ECE) and Shuman Xia (ME).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EParticipation in the EcoCAR Challenge is paired with coursework through Georgia Tech\u2019s Vertically Integrated Projects program, allowing students to gain hands-on experience while earning academic credit. The technical training and real-world problem-solving skills developed through the program make the competition a valuable experience, said Mason Shackelford, subsystem design and integration lead. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA lot of what you do on the job, you have to learn on the job, and that\u2019s what makes EcoCAR such a great opportunity,\u201d Shackelford said. \u201cYou learn something new every day; there is always a new challenge and the thrill of finding unique ways to solve them. You get to meet a lot of people, work on a great team, and apply what you learn in class.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEric Gustafson, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, has worked on the project for five years, beginning as an undergraduate at Georgia Tech. As he prepares to graduate and start his career at MathWorks, he said he cannot imagine his time at Tech without EcoCAR and encouraged more students to join the upcoming cycle.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen I look back in 15 years on what I did at Tech, all my memories will be of this competition,\u201d Gustafson said. \u201cTraveling to different testing sites \u2014 Austin, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Orlando \u2014 working with these amazing people, the 12-hour days. Those are going to be core memories forever.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor application information, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.gatech.edu\/ecocar\/recruitment-info\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Evisit the EcoCAR VIP\u2019s website.\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"The EcoCAR Challenge gives students hands-on experience developing real-world solutions for the automotive industry. "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe EcoCAR Challenge gives students hands-on experience developing real-world solutions for the automotive industry.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The EcoCAR Challenge gives students hands-on experience developing real-world solutions for the automotive industry. "}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2026-04-14 19:06:46","changed_gmt":"2026-04-14 20:18:48","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-04-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-04-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679949":{"id":"679949","type":"image","title":"EcoCAR","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EPhoto courtesy of EcoCAR Innovation Challenge\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1776194341","gmt_created":"2026-04-14 19:19:01","changed":"1776194341","gmt_changed":"2026-04-14 19:19:01","alt":"EcoCAR","file":{"fid":"264174","name":"EcoCar-1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/14\/EcoCar-1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/14\/EcoCar-1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":11901428,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/14\/EcoCar-1.jpg?itok=oyxLcvMO"}}},"media_ids":["679949"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/ece.gatech.edu\/news\/2025\/07\/strong-year-three-finish-sets-ecocar-team-final-push","title":"Strong Year Three Finish Sets Up EcoCAR Team for Final Push"},{"url":"https:\/\/sites.gatech.edu\/ecocar\/recruitment-info\/","title":"EcoCAR Team Website"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"194612","name":"Workforce Development"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2084","name":"EcoCAR"},{"id":"13885","name":"College of Engineering; ECE; ME; ChemE; EcoCAR challenge"},{"id":"8673","name":"General Motors"},{"id":"74791","name":"electric vehicle"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:Steven.gagliano@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}