Overview

The Embry-Riddle EcoEagles EcoCAR 2 team is made up of a diverse mix of ERAU students from areas of discipline ranging from engineering to business. The team is once again competing in a General Motors and Department of Energy collegiate advanced vehicle technology engineering competition. The EcoEagles are fortunate to draw upon experience from the previous competition, EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge as well as the experience of engineering, business and aerospace professionals.  The team calls upon each individual’s strengths to develop and create a noteworthy EcoCAR 2 program at ERAU.

This Year in Challenge

This is the second green initiative program sponsored by General Motors and the Department of Energy the EcoEagles have competed in. The previous competition was EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge. In the second phase of this three-year competition, the EcoEagles will begin the reconstruction of a stock 2013 Chevy Malibu. The team has chosen to build a series, front wheel drive Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle with extended range capabilities. By the end of Year Two, the team must have a 65% mule-vehicle for competition (compared to a 100% show-room ready vehicle).

Team Members

The EcoEagles are a diverse, multidisciplinary team composed of Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, and Aerospace Engineering Students. They draw upon years of excellence and expertise in the aerospace industry to solve challenging real world problems in advanced vehicle development. With strong university, community, and student support the team is poised for success in the EcoCAR2 competition.

Dr. Marc Compere, Faculty Advisor

Dr. Marc Compere is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL.  He completed his B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1994 and 1996.  He completed a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001.  His academic and industry experience is in modeling and simulation, hardware-in-the-loop and driver-in-the-loop control systems, robotics, mechatronics, vehicle dynamics, and hybrid electric power system dynamics.  His current research focuses on hybrid electric vehicle development, diesel emissions controls, and Clean Energy Systems.  Dr. Compere’s clean energy interests include fuel efficient power systems, concentrated solar power, water purification and desalination.  Dr. Compere teaches Vehicle Dynamics, Instrumentation and Data Acquisition, Solar Power Systems, and Senior Design in both the High Performance Vehicle track and the Clean Energy Systems track.

Ken Leslie

Masters of Electrical Engineering | Team Lead, Electrical Lead and GRA Expected Graduation: May 2013

Johnathon Camp

Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Team Lead Expected Graduation: May 2013  

   Jeff Alvarado

Master of Business Administration | Business Manager Expected Graduation: May 2013  

Brandon Smith

Master of Software Engineering | IDEA Thesis: The Intelligent Drive Efficiency Assistant (IDEA) is a new control system approach for the control and operation of modern hybrid vehicles. IDEA attempts to preemptively determine the vehicle’s future control system output needs such as torque, motor RPM, mode of operation, etc. based upon prediction of external factors involving how and where the vehicle is being driven.  These factors include, but are not limited to upcoming terrain, driver inputs, and traffic.  IDEA utilizes multiple software agents to predict these upcoming drive conditions.  Their results are then fed into a fuzzy control unit, which determines the appropriate control signals to place the vehicle in the highest presumed efficiency state to meet the future needs of the driver.   Expected Graduation: May 2013  

  Domenic Barsotti

Master of Mechanical Engineering | Aero Team Lead Expected Graduation: May 2014

  Baleigh Hyatt

Master of Business Administration | Communications Manager Expected Graduation: July 2013  

  Billy Serle

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering  | Mechanical Team Member - Battery Cooling System Expected Graduation Date: May 2013

Alfredo Diaz

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Team - Powertrain Cooling System Expected Graduation: May 2013  

Matt Smith

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with concentration in High Performance Vehicles | Mechanical Team Member - Aero and Composites Expected Graduation: May 2013

Tom Gorgia

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Team Member Expected Graduation: May 2015  

Cory Cooper

Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Team - ESS Cradle Expected Graduation: December 2012    

Mallory Jackson

Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Team - Faraday Cage Enclosure Expected Graduation: May 2013

Matt Nelson

Bachelor of Science Aeronautical Engineering | Controls Team Member - On Board Computer Expected Graduation: May 2015  

Steven Henning

Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Team Member Expected Graduation: May 2015      

Charles Hua, General Motors Mentor

Charles Hua is from Toronto, Ontario, Canada Attended the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada for a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and a master's degree in chemical engineering, focusing on energy systems Charles was the team lead of the University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team (UWAFT) for ChallengeX in the Department of Energy and General Motors 2008 competition year.  Charles was hired by GM through the Challenge X competition in 2008 and have been working at GM's Milford Proving Grounds ever since (approximately 3 years).  Charles’ position at GM is an Energy Storage System Performance Engineer for GM's hybrid programs.

ERAU EcoEagles Alumni

Follow the link to learn more about alumni from all of the previous Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions!

Vince Sabitini

EcoEagles Role: Team Leader, EC Year One-Two, 2008-2010.  Co-Wrote proposal for Embry-Riddle to participate in their first Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition, EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge, with Ryle Maxson. Co-Wrote proposal for Embry-Riddle to participate in their first Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition, EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge, with Ryle Maxson. What he’s doing now: Technical support engineer at dSPACE, Inc. Since EcoCAR, he’s worked for the Greater Long Island Clean Cities Coalition, broadening his communications background and establishing a stronger social media presence for the organization. Today, while working for dSPACE, he spends most of his work days on site at GM’s Milford Proving Ground. He also serves as a dSPACE mentor for the Embry Riddle and University of Washington EcoCAR 2 teams. What EcoCAR did for him: Beyond earning real-world engineering experience from EcoCAR, Vince gained lifelong friends. “Teams in EcoCAR are a family,” he says. To this day, he still stays in touch with many of those he met during the competition.

Nicole Lambiase

EcoEagles Role: 2008-2009 Electrical Team Leader What She’s Doing now: Nicole is currently an AVTC Mechanical Engineer for Argonne National Laboratory’s Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition program. She served as a technical coordinator for the last two years of EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge, and is continuing that role through EcoCAR 2: Plugging In To The Future.

Sean Carter

EcoEagles Role: Year 2 of EcoCAR: Co-Controls Team Lead w/ Haupfear. Year 3 of EcoCAR: Co-Team Lead w/ Brian Harries. Helped write EcoCAR 2 Proposal with Brian, Zachary, Brandon, Derek.   What He’s Doing now: Working on future hybrid transmissions as a Controls Integration Engineer. Responsibilities include troubleshooting code and testing coded architectures on dSPACE HIL benches and in mule vehicles. Also involved with developing automated testing for different levels of safety for critical systems. How EcoCar helped: EcoCAR was my excuse for getting a masters degree in the beginning. As I put more effort into the project, I started to appreciate the project more. I got to work with great people and have fun in the process -- even if it did involve 24 hours or more of work every other day. EcoCAR became my job, and I was loving it. EcoCAR trained me to the point where I could hit the ground running at my current job at General Motors. I am seeing the same procedures and steps that EcoCAR had to take also in industry. Seeing the same engineers that you worked with on the project and now working with them to solve problems is a satisfying feeling. EcoCAR is a really cool project and creates skill sets that you cannot get anywhere else.

Beatrice Enckell

EcoEagles Role: EcoEagles member Year One of EcoCAR2, Business Coordinator and Outreach team member. What She’s Doing now: Sales and Marketing assistant in Chicago, IL. How EcoCar helped: "In Hollywood, I had three presentations in front of the judges, one of them being in our booth. I learned how to control my nerves. I learned how it is to be a part of a trade show, how to present your product being in your booth and that my sales pitch need to improve."

Ryle Maxson

Ryle Maxson completed three degrees at Embry-Riddle, including undergraduate degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering (Fall 2010).  Ryle was an active member of the SAE chapter and contributed significantly to the Baja SAE, Formula SAE, SAE Formula Hybrid, and EcoCAR teams.  As Co-Team Lead for the EcoEagles, Ryle helped to design and build an Extended-Range Electric Vehicle for the GM/DOE-sponsored EcoCAR Challenge.  After an internship at GM's Global Powertrain Headquarters and completing his thesis, Ryle had his choice among a number of highly competitive job offers.  After considering his options, Ryle has decided to join SpaceX in Los Angeles.

Michelle Pizzo

EcoEagles Role: EcoEagles team member Fall 2010- Spring 2012. Lead biofuel production engineer: developed a biodiesel system on the Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach Campus.   What She’s Doing now: Working part-time at qPublic, LLC. and tutoring Florida State University student-athletes. Relocating with her husband in less than a year where seeking a full-time engineering position.   How EcoCar helped: Gained a lot of hands-on engineering experience while working in a team-oriented atmosphere.

Jason Ekelmann

EcoEagles Role: EcoCar: The NeXt Challenge and  EcoCAR 2: Plugging In To The Future team member. Electrical team lead and mechanical team member. What He’s Doing Now: Jason is currently working for EcoCAR2 sponsor General Motors as a development engineer. He is working on hybrid powertrains. How EcoCar Helped: Networking with large companies in the automotive industry.

Ryan Antisdel

EcoEagles Role: Outreach Coordinator Year 3 of EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge. Helped raise awareness of hybrid vehicle technology while marketing events associated with EcoCAR and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Major events included media coverage for an exclusive track day at the Daytona International Speedway and a televised visit from U.S. Congressman John Mica who is  the Chairman of the House of Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.