Contact: Camille Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University’s EcoCAR team secured a sixth-place finish at this year’s EcoCAR Mobility Challenge’s Year 2 Competition.

The team’s outstanding performance in Yuma, Arizona, was recognized with top spots for overall program management, program management presentation and technical report. The team also won Best Workmanship (integrated vehicle), while Jagdeo Singh, a mechanical engineering graduate student from Laurel, was nominated for a leadership award and John Ball, MSU Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering associate professor and Robert D. Guyton Chair, received the 2023-2024 Faculty Advisor Award.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors and the MathWorks, the competition, which is in year two of a four-year effort, challenges teams to build a powerful, fuel-efficient machine. The first year focused on architecture for a new Cadillac LYRIQ, while this year allowed teams to install parts in their competition vehicles according to their designs. Next year, teams will fine-tune their cars, with the final year of the EcoCAR competition focused on marketing.

Jason Keith, dean of the Bagley College of Engineering, commended MSU’s EcoCAR team on its performance and said each student’s dedication and hard work reflected in their impressive achievements.

“I was very impressed with the level of dedication and hard work put forward by all the members of the MSU EcoCAR EV Challenge team. They showed resiliency while working on their car while in Yuma and gave a slate of excellent presentations to panels of industry and government officials,” he said. “We are looking forward to seeing the team continue to grow and thrive as the competition enters the third year.”

MSU has a long history of success in EcoCAR competitions, a part of the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions. MSU teams have won the national competition four times and regularly receive high marks in the different judged categories, ranging from technical to communications and marketing.

The MSU EcoCAR team is comprised of more than 60 students representing 13 different majors, including mechanical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, aerospace engineering, industrial and systems engineering, computer science, cybersecurity and business administration. The competition gives the students hands-on experience that positions them to excel in their career following graduation. EcoCAR boasts a 100% hire rate for graduate students and 98% hire rate for undergraduate students immediately after graduating.

For more on the EcoCAR EV challenge, visit https://avtcseries.org/about-the-ecocar-ev-challenge/. For more on MSU’s EcoCAR team, visit Instagram @msuecocar.

Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.