The Ohio State University & Columbus State Community College Team Takes Top Prize in Battery Workforce Challenge

 Three-year engineering competition sponsored by DOE and Stellantis promotes excellence in automotive and battery engineering

DETROIT, May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ohio State University & Columbus State Community College team has been named the Year Three winner of the Battery Workforce Challenge, a three-year collegiate engineering competition that challenged 11 teams from across North America to design and build an advanced battery pack for the commercial Ram ProMaster EV platform. The McMaster University and Mohawk College team came in second place and two teams tied for third place – the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Ivy Tech Community College team and the other third place team is University of Alabama and Shelton State Community College team.

Managed by Argonne National Laboratory and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Stellantis, the Battery Workforce Challenge provides students with hands-on experience in battery design, validation, safety, build, and vehicle integration.

Over the past three years, students progressed through a series of technical milestones that reflect contemporary challenges in the industry. Throughout the program, students demonstrated their ability to meet demanding engineering standards without compromising safety. By working through real-world engineering processes, participants gained practical experience that will set them apart as they enter the workforce.

In the first year of the competition, teams established their architecture strategy before considering design trade-offs in year two. In year 3, the teams studied trade-offs for battery packaging, finalized the design, and started their manufacturing supply strategies.

Judges named The Ohio State University and the Columbus State Community College team the Year Three winner for its superior project-management plan, team cohesiveness, and efficiency in completing each phase of the challenge.

"For the past three years, the students working in the Battery Workforce Challenge have faced the same technical, design and commercial strategic choices as the mobility industry as a whole. They have worked hard and demonstrated innovative thinking, gaining hands-on experience at problem solving and the power of working in a team environment, which are all critical skills for success in the automotive arena," said Micky Bly, Senior Vice President, Global Propulsion Systems Engineering – Stellantis N.V. "I'm proud that several Challenge students have joined the Stellantis team to launch their professional careers. The skills and dedication shown by the Battery Workforce Challenge participants will be a benefit to our industry in the years ahead."

Battery Workforce Challenge
The Battery Workforce Challenge is a three-year engineering competition that challenges students from North American universities and their community college partners to design, build, test and integrate an advanced EV battery pack for a Stellantis vehicle.

Follow the Battery Workforce Challenge on social media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/battery-workforce-challenge/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/battchallenge/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BattChallenge

Follow the U.S. DOE:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/eeregov/

Follow Stellantis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/Stellantis

Media Contacts:
Kimberly DeClark, Argonne National Laboratory, [email protected], 202-441-0096
Dale Jewett, Stellantis, [email protected], 586-201-1247

SOURCE Battery Workforce Challenge