Momentum - The Magazine for Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering Vol. 3 No. 2 Summer 2018 | Page 24

STORY BY ROSAIRE BUSHEY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
PHOTOS BY MYLES REGAN
REGAN DIGITAL IMAGES.COM
HEVT team takes 4th in
final year of EcoCar 3
For the past four years 16 teams from across the country have been working to turn a stock
Chevy Camaro into an efficient hybrid vehicle as part of EcoCAR 3, a challenge sponsored by
the Department of Energy and General Motors.
The end of EcoCAR 3 marks the 30 th year of Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions,
going back to 1988’s Methanol Marathon. Since its inception in 1994, the Hybrid Electric
Vehicle Team (HEVT) has taken part in nine AVT competitions under the leadership of
Doug Nelson, professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering. The run
includes a fourth place finish this year where the team missed a podium spot by a single point
to Alabama, to wrap up EcoCAR 3.
While featured as a senior design project, EcoCAR 3 isn’t limited to mechanical engineers.
Students from the computer science and electrical and computer engineering departments as
well as the communications program in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences also
play crucial roles on the team, contributing both to success in the garage as well as earning
points during the competition.
MOMENTUM
SUMMER 2018
PAGE 24