{"690539":{"#nid":"690539","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Takes First Place at the EcoCAR EV Challenge  ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter days of testing at General Motors\u2019 Milford Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan, Georgia Tech won first place in the final year of the current EcoCAR EV Challenge cycle. Tech students competed against 13 universities over four years, applying emerging technologies to create intelligent mobility solutions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring the four-year cycle, more than 250 undergraduate and graduate students from six of Georgia Tech\u2019s Colleges worked to reengineer a Cadillac LYRIQ EV, adding a new front motor, a new clutch-enabled rear motor, and automated driving features. In the Motor City, Tech earned 867 out of 1,000 points, outperforming its competitors across technical, vehicle, and connected automation challenges. The team stood out in the Connected Driving Evaluation, developed by Argonne National Laboratory, to measure how effectively teams integrate vehicle connectivity with automated driving features. The GT team also excelled in lateral automation with strong lane-centering and automatic parking performance.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile meeting all design targets, Tech\u2019s car delivered the competition\u2019s most impressive acceleration, and the team was the only group to successfully demonstrate automatic parking.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETeams were tested at the end of each year of the competition cycle, with Tech securing multiple top-three finishes in years past. As the Yellow Jackets were crowned the winners of year four at the final awards ceremony, faculty advisor Antonia Antoniou says the elation and relief felt among the team members were a testament to the group\u2019s resilience. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThey really are the best of Georgia Tech. There were hurdles along the way where they faced major setbacks, including catastrophic equipment failures that could\u2019ve discouraged them, but they were relentless in their pursuit of perfection,\u201d Antoniou, a professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProject manager Eric Gustafson has been with the team since day one, and the victory is something he dreamed of and hopes every team member during the last four years can revel in.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt was surreal,\u201d he said. \u201cA single moment validating every all-nighter and difficult gauntlet our team worked through to compete against teams with budgets two and sometimes three times larger than ours. To win this challenge, at this Institute, speaks to the tenacity and sheer resilience that Tech students have. To actually execute, almost flawlessly, over a four-year span with different students coming into the program at different times, is a \u2018helluva\u2019 achievement.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to the first-place overall finish, the team also earned victories in 11 of the competition\u2019s engineering awards and two communications awards.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETechnical Presentations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFirst Place System Design and Integration Presentation\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EFirst Place Connected and Automated Vehicle Systems Presentation\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVehicle Events\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFirst Place Connected Driving Evaluation \u2013 Sponsored by dSPACE\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EFirst Place Energy Consumption\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EFirst Place Consumer Acceptability\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EStay in Your Lane\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EFirst Place Vehicle Drivability Evaluation\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EFirst Place CARB CAV Energy Consumption\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EFirst Place Vehicle Technical Specifications: Georgia Tech; Ohio State University and Wilberforce University\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EFirst Place Combined Longitudinal Acceleration\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EFirst Place Thermal Control Excellence - Sponsored by TCCI: Georgia Tech and the University of Alabama \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECommunications\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFirst Place Communications Program: Georgia Tech and McMaster University\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EFirst Place Impact Video\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EA New Cycle Begins\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith the conclusion of the current cycle, Antoniou and her fellow faculty advisor, David Taylor, a professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, will now lead recruitment for the team\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/14\/georgia-tech-selected-upcoming-ecocar-challenge\u0022\u003Enext competition cycle\u003C\/a\u003E, alongside new faculty advisors, Associate Professors Sam Coogan (ECE) and Shuman Xia (ME), as well as communications mentor Jill Fennell, Frank K. Webb Academic Professional Chair in Communication Skills in the Woodruff School. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe new team will have big shoes to fill,\u201d Antoniou said. We are lucky to have the chance to work with the students at Georgia Tech, and they have a tremendous opportunity to \u2018learn by doing\u2019 and connect with industry partners in the process. I encourage anyone interested to apply because EcoCAR can open so many doors, and it\u2019s a joy for us to watch these students become the leaders they are meant to be.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn April, Tech was selected to compete in the competition for the fourth consecutive cycle. Participation 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.\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\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Evisit the EcoCAR VIP\u2019s website.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech completed the four-year EcoCAR EV Challenge cycle with a victory at the final competition. "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech completed the four-year EcoCAR EV Challenge cycle with a victory at the final competition.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech completed the four-year EcoCAR EV Challenge cycle with a victory at the final competition. "}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2026-05-28 14:26:44","changed_gmt":"2026-05-29 12:13:20","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-05-29T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-05-29T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680367":{"id":"680367","type":"image","title":"EcoCAR Team ","body":"\u003Cp\u003EMembers of the Georgia Tech EcoCAR EV Challenge team, joined by Doug Williams, interim dean of the College of Engineering, and Ed Argalas, an advanced vehicle development lead engineer at General Motors. Photo courtesy of EcoCAR EV Challenge.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1780055931","gmt_created":"2026-05-29 11:58:51","changed":"1780056413","gmt_changed":"2026-05-29 12:06:53","alt":"EcoCAR Team ","file":{"fid":"264623","name":"55278373673_36f4cbcaa2_o.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/29\/55278373673_36f4cbcaa2_o.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/29\/55278373673_36f4cbcaa2_o.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1744689,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/05\/29\/55278373673_36f4cbcaa2_o.jpg?itok=FNGwbfnO"}}},"media_ids":["680367"],"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":"193157","name":"Student Honors and Achievements"}],"keywords":[{"id":"190476","name":"EcoCAR Challenge"},{"id":"190699","name":"EcoCAR Mobility Challenge"},{"id":"167585","name":"student competition"}],"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\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EInstitute Communications\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}