Siemens PLM Software Teams up with GM and The U.S. Department of Energy

By DE Editors

Siemens PLM Software has announced that it will join General Motors (GM) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in sponsoring the EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future program. Managed by Argonne National Laboratory, the EcoCAR 2 program aims to introduce energy-efficient technologies to help reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. EcoCAR 2 requires students to explore a variety of powertrain architectures focusing on electric drive vehicle technology.

As a sponsor, Siemens PLM Software will provide in-kind software grants with a combined value of $476.1 million to the 15 universities across North America participating in EcoCAR 2. The in-kind software grant will be made through Siemens PLM Software’s GO PLM program, which provides PLM technology to more than 1 million students yearly at nearly 11,200 global institutions, from grade schools to graduate engineering research programs. The in-kind software grant will include NX and Teamcenter software.

EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future, is a three-year collegiate engineering competition. The competition's mission is to offer an unparalleled hands-on, real-world experience to educate the next generation of automotive engineers. The competition challenges 15 universities across North America to reduce the environmental impact of a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, donated by GM, without compromising performance, safety and consumer acceptability.

During the three-year program EcoCAR 2 teams will follow a real-world Vehicle Development Process (VDP) modeled after GM's VDP. The VDP serves as a roadmap for the engineering process of designing, building and refining their advanced technology vehicles. Following a VDP will give the teams an opportunity to improve their vehicles efficiency while retaining consumer acceptability, performance and safety.

The first year of EcoCAR 2 will emphasize vehicle simulation, powertrain testing and engineering trade-offs that occur in the early stages of vehicle design. Competitions will be held at the end of each academic year to showcase the teams’ learning and vehicle development. Siemens PLM Software will help judge the teams’ progress in the annual competition.

For more information, visit Siemens PLM Software and Argonne National Laboratory.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.