Jonsson School Students to Compete in IEEE International Future Energy Challenge

April 8, 2015

A team of Electrical Engineering majors from The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science will travel to Michigan in July to compete in the IEEE International Future Energy Challenge (IFEC) competition. The international student competition focuses on innovation, conservation, and effective use of electrical energy.


Dr. Babak Fahimi

The Jonsson School’s team was chosen to compete in the final part of the IFEC after presenting a project proposal for the competition’s “High-efficiency Wireless Charging System for Electric Vehicles and Other Applications” topic area. The team, led by faculty advisor Dr. Babak Fahimi and graduate advisor Devendra Patil, includes Adrian Green, Patrick Henderson, Trevyn Sergeant, Luke Szymanski, and lead team member Mark Ditsworth.

The IFEC final competition will be held July 13-15, 2015 in Dearborn, Michigan. As part of the challenge, the Jonsson School team will construct a wireless charging system for electric vehicles that will allow efficient wireless battery charging over a certain gap and sliding distance, reduce the overall manufacturing cost, and minimize cooling requirements, as well as the size and weight of the pad and controller.

“I am extremely pleased with the depth of knowledge and skills presented by our team," said Dr. Fahimi, who has acted as advisor to UT Dallas teams in 2011 and 2013. "This group of students is among the most talented, energetic, and skilled researchers at the Renewable Energy and Vehicular Technology Laboratory and I am very optimistic in their capacity in bringing yet another significant recognition to our growing power and energy activities at UT Dallas.”

Competitors in the 2015 “High-efficiency Wireless Charging System for Electric Vehicles and Other Applications” topic area include: Cologne University of Applied Sciences (Germany), the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil), Kunming University of Science and Technology (China), National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan), Osaka Institute of Technology (Japan), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (South Korea), the University of Michigan-Dearborn (U.S.), and Zhejiang University (China).