EcoCAR Challenge Students Honored With The MathWorks 2009 Modeling Award

Team from University of Victoria Takes Winning Approach using Model-Based Design to Address Real-World Automotive Challenges.

NATICK, Mass - The MathWorks today announced that a student team from the University of Victoria (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) has won The MathWorks 2009 Modeling Award, given as part of the EcoCAR Challenge student competition. Chosen from a field of 11 teams, the University of Victoria students were recognized for excellence in using Model-Based Design, among other criteria, at EcoCAR’s Year One Finals in Toronto, Canada.

To be eligible for the award, teams must be active participants in the 2009 EcoCAR Challenge, a three-year competition organized by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors. Competing teams of university engineering students each re-engineer a GM Saturn Vue to improve its fuel economy and reduce emissions. During the first year, the teams use Model-Based Design, an approach in which a virtual model is at the center of system development, from initial design and simulation through to testing and implementation. Winners of The MathWorks Modeling Award are selected on the basis of their team’s innovative use of modeling and simulation, as demonstrated through a presentation and Q&A session, coinciding with the end of Year One of the challenge.

“Our students have learned to use Model-Based Design in forming our new hybrid vehicle design with fabulous performance. They developed a comprehensive plan on model re-use as their designs progressed from Model-in-the-Loop to Software-in-the-Loop to Hardware-in-the-Loop simulation,” said Dr. Zuomin Dong, one of the faculty advisors of the University of Victoria team. “The team has benefited from the functions and flexibility provided by SimDriveline in testing innovative hybrid powertrain architectures. Training provided by The MathWorks allowed our students to quickly become effective users of modern modeling, simulation, and optimization tools for addressing automotive technical challenges. These lessons, gained from participating in the competition, will benefit them when the time comes to pursue job opportunities and build careers.”

“The EcoCAR Challenge is an important avenue by which students are exposed to real-world automotive engineering practices, such as Model-Based Design,” explains Liz Callanan, corporate relations manager, The MathWorks. “The University of Victoria students embodied the spirit of the competition through the team’s overall command of Model-Based Design.”

The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute, IN) won second place. The University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) placed third.

The MathWorks is a key software sponsor for the EcoCAR Challenge and is committed to advancing education in engineering, science, and math. The company is donating tools for Model-Based Design, including its core software MATLAB and Simulink. The company is also delivering intensive training to all student teams and faculty advisors and providing experienced automotive industry experts as mentors who work closely with students throughout the three-year competition.