KENNESAW, Ga. | May 17, 2019

Engineering students show skills in national competition

For the second time since 2016, Kennesaw State University’s Electric Vehicle Team finished first overall at the evGrand Prix, an intercollegiate competition of electric-powered go-karts.

The team, featuring students from Kennesaw State’s Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, outperformed 16 other electric vehicles from colleges and universities across the country to take the top spot in the all-electric series at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. KSU also finished third in a new competition event featuring self-driving go-karts, the first collegiate autonomous race of its kind.

“I think the trophies this year are well deserved,” said Hugh Cathey, one of the 16 students who made the trip to Indiana. “Our members have put in a lot of effort to make it this far. We underwent a multitude of design iterations and spent countless hours testing the vehicle, and we really benefited from the foundation that previous teams have left us.”

Sponsored by Purdue University, scoring at the evGrand Prix is based on energy efficiency and engineering design of the lightweight vehicles in addition to race performance. KSU’s vehicle, driven by systems and industrial engineering student Austin Deaver, finished first in the design review and energy efficiency categories and among the top four in the racing portion of the event. Kennesaw State previously placed first overall in the 2016 edition of the evGrand Prix.

The Kennesaw State Electric Vehicle Team has competed in the evGrand Prix since the club’s founding in 2013, and has consistently found itself in the top three in each of the event categories. In addition to the go-kart, the team has also developed a full-size electric vehicle, which will compete in the Formula SAE electric vehicle competition in Lincoln, Nebraska in June.

– Travis Highfield

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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 45,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.