EcoCAR 3 team receives $100,000 from South Coast Air Quality Management District
Cal State L.A. is accelerating into the EcoCAR 3 competition with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) joining the team as a cosponsor.
The agency has awarded the University’s EcoCAR 3 team $100,000 from its Clean Fuels Fund, which will be allotted during the four years of the prestigious competition. The funding will be used for team training, software, hardware outreach, travel to competitions and student stipends.
“Having AQMD partner with us is important for both organizations as the funding allows us to compete more competitively,” said Justin Bower, the student team captain. “It also helps us to focus more on the environmental aspects of the competition and to train more future engineers on how to design lower emissions vehicles, which ties right in with AQMD’s mission.”
The Cal State L.A. team is nearing the end of the first year of the EcoCAR 3: Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition. Cal State L.A. is the only university from California and just one of 16 in the U.S. and Canada selected to participate in the collegiate competition.
Teams are tasked with redesigning and re-engineering a Chevy Camaro to convert it into an electric hybrid vehicle. At the end of the fourth year, teams will compete in a road test of vehicle readiness, dependability and safety.
The competition aims to help develop cutting-edge technologies for the automotive industry and provide unique educational experiences for students.
As part of the competition, teams are expected to seek sponsors to support their activities. Team members are also responsible for research, development and design, as well as creating the vehicle’s systems, buying parts and producing promotional materials.
Cal State L.A.'s EcoCAR 3 team will be traveling to Seattle, Washington, from May 29 to June 4, to end the competition’s first year. Teams will showcase their design work, project management, communications, and architecture selections of the student vehicles.
Photo: Cal State L.A. faculty adviser David Blekhman (far right) with members of the University’s EcoCAR 3 team. (Credit: Carol Mamon)
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Cal State L.A. is a university dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 24,000 students, and 235,000 distinguished alumni, who are as diverse as the region we serve. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, Cal State L.A. has long been recognized as an engine of economic and social mobility. Led by an award-winning faculty, the University offers nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and the humanities.
Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs, Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center, Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility, Billie Jean King Sports Complex, TV, Film and Media Center and the Center for Engagement, Service, and the Public Good. For more information, visit CalStateLA.edu, or like us at Facebook.com/CalStateLA.
Article courtesy of Cal State L.A.; for more information on the event please visit:/univ/ppa/publicat/ecocar-3-team-receives-100000-south-coast-air-quality-management-district
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