Ohio State EcoCAR, the student team representing The Ohio State University in the EcoCAR 3 competition, has claimed the top prize for year two of EcoCAR 3 as a three-time defending champion, winning the last year of EcoCAR 2 and the first and second year of EcoCAR 3.
Part of the winning team is Cardington-Lincoln High School graduate Andrew Johnson, who is a fifth year senior in the school’s electrical engineering program.
The latest in Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors, culminated in a two-week competition at GM’s desert proving grounds in Yuma, Arizona and San Diego, California for vehicle testing and team presentations. In a very close race to the finish line, OSU edged Virginia Tech and Embry Riddle to win the 2016 competition with 11 first place category finishes, and placed top 5 in 30 out of 36 categories.
“The hard work and dedication of the entire team was clear throughout this Year Two competition and we are incredibly excited to bring home another first-place victory,” said M.J. Yatsko, team leader and recent graduate with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering.
The team earned 880 points out of a possible 1,000 and was the first team to be able to drive their vehicle at Competition out of 16 teams from across North America. In this four-year competition, teams were challenged to redesign a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro into a performance hybrid vehicle, reducing its environmental impact while maintaining the power and speed expected from this iconic American car.
“What our Buckeye engineers and communication students did this year was exceptional,” said Dr. Shawn Midlam-Mohler, associate professor-clinical in mechanical and aerospace engineering and faculty adviser for the Ohio State EcoCAR team. “In less than four months, they brought their hybrid Camaro to life. Special thanks to Ohio State and all of our sponsors who made this win possible.”
