What is EcoCAR?

EcoCAR is the latest in a series of university hybrid vehicle competitions sponsored by the US Department of Energy, General Motors Corporations, and several other organizations and companies from the US and Canada. For information on the current competition, see the official EcoCAR website at http://www.ecocarchallenge.org/.

Sixteen American and Canadian universities are currently in the second year of the three-year competition to convert a gasoline-based GM donated crossover SUV into a hybrid vehicle maximizing fuel economy and emissions ratings while maintaining stock performance, safety, and consumer appeal. The schools are currently starting the second year of the competition, following Ohio State's first place win at the end of year one!  

Year 1

• mechanical engineering
• electrical engineering
• computer science engineering
• control and systems engineering
• electronics
• engine and aftertreatment techniques
• management, marketing, finance, and public relations.

You can learn about our team's vehicle design on our Design Strategy page.

Year 2

In Year Two, students use the design they created in Year One to develop a working vehicle that meets the competition’s goals. At the closing of Year Two, the teams will bring these vehicles for a week-long competition in Yuma, AZ for a series of static and dynamic events to evaluate how well they have met their goals:

• Incorporate technologies that reduce petroleum energy consumption on the basis of a total fuel cycle
  well-to-wheel (WTW) analysis;
• Increase vehicle energy efficiency;
• Reduce criteria and WTW greenhouse gas (GHG) and criteria emissions; and
• Maintain consumer acceptability in the areas of performance, utility and safety.

All these are needed to create the best vehicle possible. The Ohio State team, operating under the auspices of the Center for Automotive Research, is extremely well-funded and comprises of a wide variety of students with many different backgrounds and goals.

This website will log our progress in this competition, for both our own use as well as to encourage Ohio State students of all kinds to contribute and learn from this incredible opportunity. To see our current progress, check out our Vehicle Development page.