The quest for innovation in creating fuel efficient cars and mobility is never ending with a recent challenge in Detroit giving us a small glimpse of this, but the U.S. Energy Department and Argonne National Laboratory made a big step towards this goal with the announcement of the EcoCAR challenge and the selection of 20 universities that will take part in the challenge.

Covering both ends of the green vehicle spectrum

Argonne’s challenge is the 15th installment of the DOE’s Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions Series (AVTC) series. The core goal here is to encourage and challenge college students to design innovative mobility solutions using emerging technology.

“The Innovation Challenge is an investment in the next era of the American workforce,” said Assistant Secretary of Energy (EERE) Audrey Robertson. “This unprecedented collaboration between GM and Stellantis underscores the importance of building a skilled US workforce and promoting innovation. We hope to fast-track technological breakthroughs, improve the competitiveness of the American auto industry, and expand the range of options available to American consumers.”

To help give the teams a good start, GM and Stellantis agreed to provide them vehicles that will help be a canvas for them to use while also serving as sponsors. Some of the teams will work with the Chevrolet Blazer SS EV and others will work with the Jeep Cherokee Hybrid. Both of these vehicles cover a large swath of the green vehicle market and offer distinct challenges to the teams when it comes to designing and creating certain modifications. They include modifications to the vehicle propulsion system to optimize efficiency through the design and integration of electric motor systems and team-built, high-voltage batteries.

The two companies also released a pair of statements highlighting their respective vehicles saying “EcoCAR develops engineers who understand how to integrate software, controls, advanced powertrains, and the customer experience into a single system,” said Ken Morris, Senior Vice President of Product Programs, Product Safety, Integration and Motorsports at General Motors. “We’re proud to support this competition and to help students build the practical expertise that the auto industry needs right now and we are excited to announce GM has selected the 2026 Chevy Blazer EV to provide to teams.”

@carlmalek

I recently had the chance to attend the official launch of the EcoCAR Innovation Challenge at Motor City Soundboard. Twenty college teams will be challenged with building innovative mobility and efficiency solutions with vehicles from @Stellantis and @General Motors cant wait to see what they come up with. #trending #cartok #tiktok #fyp #mobility

♬ Energetic Road Drive – Gummy MusicLab

Stellantis followed suit,“Tomorrow’s mobility solutions will be shaped by teams who can take on real-world challenges, innovate across disciplines and provide practical, intelligent results for our customers,” said Micky Bly, Senior Vice President, Global Propulsion Systems Engineering – Stellantis N.V. “EcoCAR gives students that experience, and we’re excited to support their development by providing the 2026 Jeep Cherokee hybrid, which will offer meaningful technical and learning engagement for the teams.”

Planting the seeds for future innovation

The twenty universities selected (listed below) represent a coast to coast approach for the challenge and it’s obvious the EcoCAR challenge is trying to push boundaries.

1. California State University, Los Angeles – Stellantis Track
2. Colorado School of Mines – Stellantis Track
3. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – General Motors Track
4. Georgia Institute of Technology – General Motors Track
5. Louisiana State University – Stellantis Track
6. McMaster University – General Motors Track
7. Mississippi State University – General Motors Track
8. The Ohio State University – Stellantis Track
9. Pennsylvania State University – General Motors Track
10. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology – Stellantis Track
11. Texas A&M University – Stellantis Track
12. The University of Alabama – General Motors Track
13. University at Buffalo – Stellantis Track
14. University of North Carolina at Charlotte – Stellantis Track
15. University of Tennessee, Knoxville – Stellantis Track
16. University of Waterloo – Stellantis Track
17. University of Wisconsin-Madison – General Motors Track
18. Virgina Polytechnic Institute and State University – General Motors Track
19. Western Michigan University – General Motors Track
20. West Virginia University – General Motors Track

“Students learn best by building, and EcoCAR lets them build using the same Model-Based Design and simulation workflows widely used in industry,” said Lauren Tabolinsky, Senior Manager, Student and Academic Global Programs at MathWorks.  “We’re proud to support a program that helps bridge academic learning with engineering practices that translate directly to the workplace.”