Driving Student Success Through EcoCAR Competition
In May 2022, Illinois Tech’s EcoCAR team was selected as one of just 13 teams to compete in the four-year EcoCAR EV Challenge sponsored by the Now in its final year of the competition, having completed the Year Three Competition, the team’s car is running and their successes are building up.
Thirteen team members traveled to Arizona with the team’s 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ. The team passed vehicle technical inspection and completed three quarters of the propulsion events.
“We have continued to learn and improve even through the Year Three Competition,” says Antonia Martinez (BA 4th Year), communications manager for the Illinois Tech EcoCAR team. “We were all very excited when we first got the motor to spin, everyone was excited and jumping around. It was definitely a highlight.”
As part of the Year Three Competition, the team received second place in the Argonne AI Innovation Award.
The attending students were Martinez, Carter Anderson (ME, M.Eng. MAE ’25), Faith Busche (CS ’23, M.S. ASAR ’25), Mary Frampton (CE 4th Year), Grace Goodnough (PSYC 4th Year), Martin Harmon (CPE, M.S. CPE 5th Year), Kelly Hitchcock (ME ’24, M.Eng. MAE 2nd Year), Samin Karim (M.A.S. AI ’25), Prasana Kalimuthu (M.S. ASAR ’25), Carlos Martin (M.A.S. EMGT), and Elizabeth Wolny (ME 3rd Year).
“Participating in EcoCAR is one of the best opportunities on campus to gain real-world experience and connect with industry leaders. The competition is sponsored by major companies—including General Motors, Argonne National Laboratory, and MathWorks—giving students the chance to collaborate directly with these organizations. Through hands-on projects, students use the same tools and software employed by professionals in the field, gaining valuable technical skills and industry insight that give them a leg up after graduation,” says Martinez.
The team also won the EcoCAR Challenge’s inaugural in 2024, honoring its “extraordinary effort” to engage in the local Bronzeville community through partnering with the 鶹APP Parks Foundation for the initiative, volunteer park clean ups, volunteering at food drives, and participating in mentorship programs.
Image: Illinois Tech EcoCAR team with their car at vehicle testing week in Yuma, Arizona.
