GM has announced it will donate 2023 Cadillac Lyriq crossovers to the fifteen post-secondary institutions that are participating in its EcoCar EV Challenge.
The automaker first released details on the EcoCar EV Challenge last fall, which is the latest variation of the automaker’s long-running EcoCar Challenge series of events. The automaker says this four-year university-level competition “will challenge students to engineer a next-generation battery electric vehicle (BEV) that deploys connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) features to implement energy-efficient and customer-pleasing features while meeting the decarbonization needs of the automotive industry.”
Participating teams will each receive an identical 2023 Cadillac Lyriq model and will modify and improve the vehicle’s propulsion system and other components. Teams will then congregate in May 2026 and put the vehicles they’ve designed, developed and built to the test through a series of challenges. The fifteen universities selected to participate in the EcoCAR EV Challenge are from both the U.S. and Canada and include the following:
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University/ Bethune-Cookman University
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Illinois Institute of Technology
- McMaster University (Canada)
- Mississippi State University
- Ohio State University / Wilberforce University
- University of Alabama
- University of California, Riverside
- University of California, Davis
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of Waterloo (Canada)
- Virginia Tech
- West Virginia University
The EcoCar Challenge is a long-running, GM-sponsored contest for university students that tasks participants with designing and developing an energy-efficient vehicle that adheres to a specific set of rules. The event provides students with real-world, hands-on experience designing and building next-generation mobility solutions, giving them more knowledge and skills as they prepare to enter the automotive engineering or business fields.
While this latest iteration of the contest focuses on EVs, previous EcoCar Challenge events had students modify existing internal combustion engine vehicles to make them more efficient. The current, ongoing EcoCar Challenge contest, which will conclude this summer, tasked teams with improving the efficiency of a 2019 Chevy Blazer crossover by fitting it with advanced propulsion systems and electrification tech. Students were also instructed to fit the vehicle with SAE Level 2 automation. This new version of the competition, by comparison, will use the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq, rather than the Blazer or another GM ICE vehicle.
The EcoCar EV Challenge will officially kick off in the fall school semester of 2022. In addition to support from GM, the event has also received backing from the U.S. Department of Energy and software company MathWorks.
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Comments
You know that is all well and good, however, one can’t even buy or even order a Lyriq yet. They will just start taking regular orders on May 19, 2022 and deliveries may come in December for those orders.
Cadillac has been advertising the Lyriq ever since the Super Bowl 2021 (January 2021), well over a year ago. GM has been so slow in coming out with this Lyriq EV that we just got tired of waiting and bought a Kia EV6 Wind model ($48,500) which gets 310 miles of range and has V2L (Vehicle To Load) technology which allows you to plug in almost anything to either the standard household plug (110v 16 amp) located under the back seat or a plug converter that you plug into the J1772 plug outside the car which allows you to plug in any standard 110v device rated at 15 amps or less. You can actually charge another EV at level 1 (12 amps) using this device. GM has not announced anything like this feature in the Lyriq. Also, the EV6 GT level gives you a view of your blind spot right on the dashboard screen when you turn the right or left blinker on. Oh, and the Kia EV6 (as well as the Hyundai Ioniq 5) charges from 10% to 80% (217 miles) in 18 minutes at a 350-kW charging station. That is faster than the Lyriq at 76 miles in 10 minutes which comes out to 137 miles in 18 minutes (10% to 56% assuming the Lyriq gets 300 miles of range)). The Lyriq’s maximum charge rate is 190 kW, but the Kia EV6 maximum charge rate is 240 kW. Also, with the Kia EV6 you get 1000kW (4000 miles) of free charging over 3 years at any Electrify America charging station. GM’s Lyriq is already way behind the times. Finally, the Kia EV6 Wind GT model only cost $51,200 not $59,990. And the warranty is better than Cadillac’s.
You r comparing that car to the lyriq lol
Dear Joe McCready,
Yes, I know it’s crazy to compare the Cadillac Lyriq with the Kia EV6, but I have to say the Kia EV6 in many ways looks similar both inside and outside. The Kia EV6 profile is similar to Lyriq’s profile and the inside both have a curved display and a dial shifter in the center console. Sure, the Cadillac has more luxury appointments with its “jeweled” knobs and stuff, but I have to say the ride and performance in the Kia EV6 is a luxury ride and very similar to the Cadillac XT5 that I have ridden in and just as roomy. In fact the 70mph highway noise level is actually quieter in the Kia EV6 than in the XT5. I strongly suggest you go to a Kia dealer that has an EV6 and try it out yourself.
Will Cadillac even have produced 15 Lyriqs by September?
I ordered a Debut edition and was told April/May delivery but I have heard nothing.
Dear Guy,
We have all been told by GM that the Cadillac Lyriq will start or begin to be delivered the first half of 2022. The key word is “start or begin” which gives GM a long window to deliver the Lyriq after the first half of 2022. Also, due to the chip shortage and the new lockdowns in China, that April/May timeframe will most probably be pushed forward into the future a few months.
What I liked about the Kia EV6 Wind RWD is that they advertised it first during the Superbowl on February 13, 2022 (remember the electric dog that jumped down and lost it power and was charged up by the Kia EV6?) and it actually was available to buy at the dealers the very next day. Also, what I like about the Kia EV6 is it looks a lot like the Cadillac Lyriq inside with its curved display and knob shifter on the center console. And I have to say after using the EV6 for several weeks now it is really a smooth quiet comfortable rider, and the navigation system is absolutely superb. And finally, charging up at a 350 kW charging station is a joy how fast it charges.
If you want to take a look at the Kia, go online and search for inventory. If you find one in your area, be sure to call the dealer first and see if they still have it. When we went to the dealer, we had a choice of two dealers in Las Vegas. One dealer had 4 EV6’s available and another dealer had one. On the way there we called the dealer that had 4 and they told us that they just sold the last one of the 4 already, so we went to the dealer that had the one and they still had it and we bought it. These EV6’s are selling like hotcakes. Another choice is the Hyundai Ionic 5 which is similar to the Kia EV6, so you can look for Hyundai dealers to. Kia and Hyundai are owned by the same company.