
PODCASTS:
April 13, 2026 ~ Ken Morris, Senior Vice President of Product Programs, Product Safety, Integration and Motorsports at General Motors, speaks with WJR Digital Reporter Nick Lundberg on the diversity of schools taking place in the innovation challenge.
April 13, 2026 ~ Senior Vice President of Global Propulsion Systems Engineering at Stellantis N.V. Micky Bly speaks with WJR Digital Contributor Nick Lundberg about what students will experience during the four-year innovation challenge program.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
DETROIT, MICH. ~ 20 universities, including Western Michigan, were picked Monday afternoon at the MotorCity Casino Sound Board as part of a four-year EcoCAR Innovation Challenge program, presented by General Motors, Stellantis, and MathWorks. In partnership with the United States Department of Energy and Argonne, teams will have the opportunity to work with the 2026 Chevy Blazer EV and the 2026 Jeep Cherokee hybrid, using the latest engineering tools, to help drive the next wave of automotive leaders. This is the 15th version of the DOE’s Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition Series.
“We definitely like the diversity of thought,” Ken Morris, Senior Vice President of Product Programs, Product Safety, Integration and Motorsports at General Motors said about students from the 20 schools across the country involved in the challenge. “Maybe they will come up with some ideas that will pay off for us.”












