AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NXP Semiconductors N.V.(NASDAQ:NXPI), the global leader in secure connected cars, this week hosts theWinter Workshop for the EcoCAR 3 Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition(AVTC) at NXP’s campus in Austin. EcoCAR 3 is a four-year collegiate engineering program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors(GM) that gives students the chance to redesign, build, and demonstrate cutting-edge, eco-friendly automotive technologies in the all-new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro.
As a fifteen-year sponsor and the exclusive chip provider to the competition, NXP is proud to again support the program. This year, NXP is providing its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) technology to the students to support autonomous or self-driving functions in their vehicles.
“As global competition continues to increase, the auto industry must recognize the critical need for multi-dimensional graduates across many disciplines, from engineering to business,” said Kurt Sievers, executive vice president and general manager of the Automotive business at NXP. “This isn’t just about a new car; this is about building tomorrow’s capabilities that will evolve the way we live. Just think, one of these students could come up with the next big innovation in self-driving cars, paving the way toward a safer future for all of us. EcoCAR 3 accelerates this in a way that is core to our values and critical to our environment.”
Each EcoCAR 3 team has four years to apply the latest cutting-edge technologies and incorporate new innovative concepts, in order to harness ideas into the ultimate energy-efficient, high-performance vehicle. Teams will follow the EcoCAR Vehicle Development Process and establish a plan for research and development, analysis, and validation of the vehicle design. EcoCAR 3 teams will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience working in many vehicle technology areas. Automakers and other top employers are vying for such talent, as is shown through the program’s near 100 percent pre-graduation hire rate. This launching pad prepares students to quickly move from academia to the working world.
“The EcoCAR 3 program builds on a proud history that exemplifies the power of public and private partnerships in providing invaluable experience and training to promising, young minds ready to enter the job market,” said Jim Kolhoff, global director of software engineering for General Motors (GM) Powertrain. “These students represent the next generation of automotive professionals who will experience a real-world vehicle development process.”
NXP’s Winter Workshop will feature a host of events from design, fabrication and integration team roundtables to hardware training and résumé building workshops for the more than 200 participating students. Additionally, approximately 80 local Austinmiddle and high school students will join the sixteen university teams participating in the competition to experience the competition first hand. Represented universities include Arizona State University; California State University, Los Angeles; Colorado State University; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Georgia Institute of Technology; McMaster University; Mississippi State University; The Ohio State University; Pennsylvania State University; University of Alabama; University of Tennessee, Knoxville; University of Washington; University of Waterloo; Virginia Tech;Wayne State University; and West Virginia University.
To learn more about the EcoCAR 3 program, please visit www.ecocar3.org.
About EcoCAR 3
EcoCAR 3 is a four-year collegiate engineering program that builds on the successful 26-year history of Department of Energy advanced vehicle technology competitions (AVTC) by giving engineering students the chance to design and build advanced vehicles that demonstrate leading-edge, eco-friendly automotive technologies.General Motors provides each of the 16 competing teams with a Chevrolet Camaro, as well as vehicle components, seed money, technical mentoring and operational support. The U.S. Department of Energy and its research and development facility,Argonne National Laboratory, provide competition management, team evaluation and logistical support. Through this important public/private partnership, EcoCAR 3 provides invaluable experience and training to promising young minds entering the North American job market. EcoCAR 3 follows the widely acclaimed competition series EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future.
