Elite Battery Competition is a partnership
with the U.S. Department of Energy and
Stellantis
CHICAGO, May 10, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- The Colorado School of
Mines & Arapahoe Community
College team has been named the Battery Workforce Challenge
(BattChallenge) Year One champion, leading the way in the
three-year collegiate competition. Second place was awarded to The
Ohio State University & Columbus
State Community College team, while The University of Alabama & Shelton State Community College team took third
place. Teams were judged on the design of their electric vehicle
battery pack at the competition.
Year One of the competition focused on the design of the EV
battery pack. The teams' focus spanned from the granular level of
cell characterization and testing to the broader scope of
pack-level design, encompassing thermal, mechanical, and electrical
considerations, while upholding stringent safety standards.
"We are energized by the collective efforts, dedication, and
ingenuity demonstrated by the students in year one," said
Michael Berube, Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Sustainable Transportation and Fuels in the Office of
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE). "Together, we're preparing a skilled workforce needed
to support industry's transition to electrification and a
sustainable energy future."
The BattChallenge is an elite public-private partnership and
North American collegiate engineering competition sponsored by DOE,
Stellantis, and it is managed by Argonne National Laboratory.
The BattChallenge began in 2023 and features 12 North
American university engineering teams, each partnering with a local
community college. The teams were selected through a competitive
process to secure a spot in the program. Students receive firsthand
experiential learning and work closely with industry experts to
tackle one of the most relevant real-world engineering challenges
facing the automotive industry today.
"This remarkable talent of the students is clearly shown in this
competition and matches perfectly toward our mission of building
the battery workforce of the future," said Micky Bly, Stellantis' senior vice president and
head of Global Propulsion Systems. "Stellantis is proud to support
this initiative and encourage students to receive valuable
real-world experience in the automotive EV space."
The next year of the competition (year two of the three) is
geared towards building and testing the battery pack. Students will
make revisions and improvements to their year one design and begin
assembling the battery into their vehicle. Teams will receive a Ram
ProMaster electric van from Stellantis for the remainder of the
competition. In the final year, teams will integrate the battery
pack into their vehicle and conduct comprehensive road tests.
The 2024 Ram ProMaster EV was introduced earlier this
year and is designed specifically for electrification, featuring a
unibody design that efficiently incorporates the production battery
pack. The work van is suited to perform commercial activities, and
this application serves as an exciting opportunity for students to
design batteries for bigger vehicles.
At the year one finale which took place at the Palmer House
Hilton in Chicago on May 9, dozens of engineering and sponsor-related
category awards are given out, plus industry-provided prize money
totalling $100,000. Perhaps the most
prestigious take-away is the invaluable real-world experience for
students working with industry leaders and launching their careers.
The series culminates in 2026.
Additional BattChallenge sponsors include: American Battery
Technology Company, BASF, Eaton, AVL, Dana Corporation, MathWorks,
Analog Devices, Inc., and Gamma Technologies.
Battery Workforce Challenge
The collegiate
competition is part of DOE's broader Battery Workforce Challenge
Program, which also includes regional training with vocational and
community colleges; STEM youth education; and an online tool for
career and technical education. The program is dedicated to
cultivating a diverse cohort of skilled engineers, technicians and
workers to propel domestic battery technology forward.
Follow the Battery Workforce Challenge on social media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/battery-workforce-challenge/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/battchallenge/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BattChallenge
Follow the U.S. DOE:
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/eeregov/
Follow Stellantis:
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/Stellantis
Media Contacts:
Kimberly
DeClark, Argonne National Laboratory, kdeclark@anl.gov,
202-441-0096
Dan Reid, Stellantis,
dan.reid@stellantis.com, 248-202-7697
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SOURCE Battery Workforce Challenge