Empowering Emerging Engineers for the EV World: 12 North American Teams of Universities and Vocational Schools Selected for the Battery Workforce Challenge

CHICAGO, Dec. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Powering the electric vehicle (EV) sector of the future starts with innovative public-private partnerships between industry, government and academia driving technology advancement through training and skills development. That's why the Battery Workforce Challenge Program on behalf of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), Stellantis, and the Argonne National Laboratory today announced 12 universities and partnering vocational schools participating in the first-of-its-kind Battery Workforce Challenge collegiate competition.

The competition tasks 12 selected universities, along with their vocational partners, to design, build, test and integrate an advanced EV battery into a future Stellantis vehicle, which will be announced in early 2024. The three-year competition will culminate in 2026, with the winning teams receiving dozens of annual engineering and sponsor-related category awards; $100,000 in industry-provided prize money; and invaluable employment, collaboration, and networking opportunities with industry leaders.

The Battery Workforce Challenge Program will inspire a robust workforce within the EV battery sector through multiple educational platforms that will help the DOE achieve net-zero emissions across industries by 2050 and advance the Stellantis goal of becoming a carbon net-zero corporation by 2038. 

The competition is part of the broader Battery Workforce Challenge Program, which also includes regional training with vocational and community colleges; youth education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); 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.

The universities and vocational partners selected for the Battery Workforce Challenge are:  

• California State University, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California) and Cerritos College (Norwalk, California)
• Clemson University (Clemson, South Carolina) and Greenville Technical College (Greenville, South Carolina)
• Colorado School of Mines (Golden, Colorado) and Arapahoe Community College (Littleton, Colorado)
• Jackson State University (Jackson, Mississippi) and Hinds Community College (Utica, Mississippi)
• McMaster University and Mohawk College (Ontario, Canada)
• The Ohio State University and Columbus State Community College (Columbus, Ohio)
• Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Ivy Tech Community College (Terre Haute, Indiana)
• University of Alabama and Shelton State Community College (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
• University of California, Merced and Merced College (Merced, California)
• University of Michigan-Dearborn and Henry Ford College (Dearborn, Michigan)
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, Nevada) and College of Southern Nevada (Clark County, Nevada)
• University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) and Lambton College: Lambton Energy Research Centre (Sarnia, Ontario, Canada)

Collegiate engineering teams participated in a competitive process to secure a spot in the elite competition. The participating students will receive firsthand, experiential learning and will work in close partnership with industry experts to tackle one of the most relevant real-world engineering challenges facing the automotive industry today.

"Initiatives like the Battery Workforce Challenge Program are created from a compelling need for heightened American ingenuity and an increased workforce in the EV sector," said Michael Berube, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation and Fuels in the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. "This competition will immerse students in hands-on, real-world experiences crucial to building skills needed to support a cleaner, more sustainable energy economy."  

"We envision a future where sustainable mobility thrives through innovation and continues to be powered by the next generation of exceptional engineering talent," said Micky Bly, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Propulsion Systems for Stellantis. "The participating universities echo our commitment to paving the way for EV excellence and leading decarbonization efforts to reach net-zero emissions by 2038, as outlined in our Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan."

Additional organizations sponsoring the Battery Workforce Challenge include: Our Next Energy, Dana Corporation, AVL and MathWorks.

For background about the Battery Workforce Challenge, please visit AVTC Series.

Stellantis North America

Stellantis (NYSE: STLA) is one of the world's leading automakers and a mobility provider. In North America, it's best known for producing and selling vehicles in a portfolio of iconic and award-winning brands such as Jeep®, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Alfa Romeo and Fiat. Powered by its diversity, Stellantis leads the way the region and the world move – aspiring to become the greatest sustainable mobility tech company, not the biggest, while creating added value for all stakeholders as well as the communities in which it operates. For more information, visit www.stellantis.com.

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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