Mississippi State University’s EcoCar2 team gears up for final evaluations in Yuma, Ariz., and locations throughout San Diego May 13-23. The team is continuing its participation in the General Motors and Department of Energy “EcoCar2: Plugging into the Future” competition.                                                 
This event will mark the conclusion of the competition’s year two phase, in which each competing university is responsible for the construction of a fully-functioning hybrid vehicle following their proposed design process finalized in year one of the competition.  
Matthew Doude, staff adviser for the EcoCar2 team, said – in addition to the scrutiny MSU’s EcoCar2 team members will face as they represent the communications, business and technical aspects of the project – the final competition will include a series of rigorous tests set to challenge every aspect of the vehicle’s innovative design.  
“It’s brutal,” Doude said. “We’ll do things like zero to 60 acceleration and 60 to zero breaking. The Environmental Protection Agency will be there to do the official emission measurements and its gas mileage,” he said.
The competition will also test the vehicle’s gradeability, energy consumption and performance in extreme temperatures.
Claire Faccini, senior communication major and communication manager for the EcoCar2 team, said she is confident the competition’s evaluation of MSU’s EcoCar2 will reflect the talent and dedication of the team over the last two years.
“We always want to win, and we always do well,” Faccini said. “We’re hoping the EcoCar2 will live up to these tests and surpass expectations.”
Faccini also said although the team welcomes the addition of honors to their growing list of awards, helping to establish MSU’s success on an international level and promoting a better connotation of academics and environmental consciousness in Mississippi takes precedence. 
“It’s always fun to win those awards,” Faccini said. “But really the end prize is that we are a part of the reason Mississippi State has such credibility.”
Doude said a win in year two of the competition would largely reflect the continued support of students and the university, a factor which originally encouraged the team to pursue the most complex and efficient hybrid design yet.
“When we go to these competitions, we feel the bulldog nation behind us,” he said. “This gives us something to be proud of. It shows that Mississippians can compete with the top engineers in the rest of the world.”
Jonathan Moore, electrical and controls group leader for the EcoCar2 team and graduate student studying electrical engineering, said the team continues to improve in quality, efficiency and vehicle design throughout its participation in advanced vehicle technology competitions.
“Compared to EcoCar, EcoCar2 has been a change for the positive,” he said. “All of the experience I’ve gained in the competition and in working with the people who were on the team has helped me tremendously in trying to make things better in this car than they were on the last one. It’s all been kind of building on itself. It just keeps getting better.”
Blake Brown, EcoCar2 team leader and graduate student studying mechanical engineering, said ultimately he hopes that the final competition yields positive results for MSU’s EcoCar2, and he is proud of the team’s accomplishments in light of the weighty task assigned to them.
“We’ve built a hybrid car. We’ve seen our undergraduate and graduate students come together and build this,” he said. We have a very good team, and I’m proud of all of them.”
While MSU’s EcoCar2 team celebrates how far they have progressed as a team and as a competitor in the final days leading up to competition, the organization continues to seek out more active interest from current and incoming students at MSU in the team’s future endeavors.
Doude said he encourages students of MSU to learn more about the EcoCar2’s mission and look for opportunities to get involved.
 ”The heart of our team is student volunteers. We can always use more students. There’s not a waiting list, a membership fee or a major requirement. Any student of any major who has the passion to put in the time and do something really amazing is welcome,” he said. 
The team’s success can be followed on Twitter @MSStateEcoCAR2or visit facebook.com/msuecocar2.