LSU EcoCAR Innovation Challenge Team

Competition Overview

EcoCAR is a four-year national vehicle and product innovation competition.

EcoCAR challenges university teams to develop intelligent mobility solutions using real vehicles, sponsor tools, judged technical deliverables, and product innovation methods. Teams compete in OEM vehicle tracks while every team also competes in the Product Innovation Track.

Official program sources

AVTC SeriesOfficial home of the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions.EcoCAR Innovation ChallengeOfficial AVTC announcement for the new EcoCAR Innovation Challenge.Next AVTC SeriesProgram framing for EcoCAR as the next AVTC series.Argonne EcoCAR EV ChallengeArgonne page for the prior EcoCAR EV Challenge and AVTC.

What Students Work On

LSU team work spans vehicle systems, product innovation, and operations.

The team brings together multiple workstreams. EcoCAR rewards students who can combine rigorous technical work with user-centered product thinking and professional communication.

Stellantis Vehicle Track

Hybrid rear-drive integration, battery systems, controls, and validation.

The Stellantis track centers on a team-integrated rear motor system, team-built battery, hybrid controls, energy-consumption tradeoffs, off-road design elements, and formal systems discipline.

Team-integrated rear motor system and hybrid supervisory controls
Team-built battery with BMS development and program-provided support
Systems V-model, traceability, safety, and validation planning
Vehicle hardware, propulsion controls, high-voltage battery, and systems swimlanes

Product Innovation Track

Discovery, feasibility, viability, and user-centered mobility thinking.

The Product Innovation Track asks teams to connect technical work to real users, partner needs, commercial risk, HMI, market logic, and product differentiation.

Desirability, feasibility, and viability risk framing
User observation, stakeholder discovery, and hidden requirements
Innovation stack: discovery, incubation, and acceleration
Stellantis use cases such as emergency response, rural operations, and expedition users

Operations and Communications

The project systems that make the technical work possible.

Strong teams need project planning, recruiting, sponsor coordination, documentation, event preparation, outreach, and clear storytelling.

Project management and deliverable coordination
Sponsor-facing updates and event preparation
Recruitment, outreach, and team identity
Technical communication, reports, presentations, and public storytelling

Why Join LSU EcoCAR

Students join for real technical work, real teamwork, and real visibility.

EcoCAR is valuable because it combines industry-style technical work with national visibility, mentorship, interdisciplinary teamwork, and tangible portfolio outcomes.

Hands-on hybrid and electrified powertrain development
Real EV/HEV integration, controls, calibration, and safety work
AI-enhanced technical workflows and emerging technology exposure
HMI innovation and product-development thinking
Direct access to Stellantis engineers and sponsor mentors
Three national events each year with networking and recruiting opportunities
Meaningful roles for technical, business, communications, entrepreneurship, and journalism students

Current Team

A growing LSU team, ready for mentors, builders, operators, and storytellers.

Faculty Advisors

Dr. Xiangyu MengLead Faculty Advisor

Dr. Shyam MenonLead Faculty Advisor

Dr. Ying WangLead Faculty Advisor

Supporting Faculty

Dr. Keith G. MillsArtificial Intelligence Subject Matter Expert

Student Leadership

The students who coordinate deliverables, recruiting, meetings, sponsor communication, and competition readiness.

TBDTeam Lead

Vehicle and Controls

Hands-on technical roles for systems integration, controls, battery development, validation, and documentation.

TBDVehicle Systems

Product and Outreach

Student roles for product innovation, HMI thinking, market research, recruiting, communications, and public storytelling.

TBDProduct Innovation

Sponsors and Tools

Sponsors create the technical learning environment.

Recruitment

Join if you want to build, test, organize, explain, and improve real work.

EcoCAR needs students who are technical, creative, communicative, organized, entrepreneurial, or simply serious about learning.

Vehicle systems and controlsBattery and propulsion developmentProduct innovation and HMIProject management and operationsCommunications, outreach, and recruitingBusiness, entrepreneurship, and market research

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Who belongs on the team?

EcoCAR brings together vehicle systems, product thinking, communications, operations, recruiting, business, entrepreneurship, and project leadership.

What kind of work would I actually do?

That depends on your role, but the work can include building, testing, modeling, documenting, presenting, user discovery, sponsor communication, event preparation, and recruiting.

How do applications work?

Applications route through a Google Form so team leads can collect responses reliably while updating questions directly.