Mechanical Engineering Professor Vladimir Vantsevich, Ph.D., recently was awarded the Thar Energy Design Award by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The award, presented by the Thar Energy Company, is given annually to honor significant contributions to energy engineering. The award was presented at the 2017 ASME IDETC/CIE Conference in Cleveland Ohio.

Vantsevich has spent more than three decades studying energy efficiency of ground vehicles. However, his work has gotten increased exposure in recent years due to a collaboration with Southern Company, which supports innovative research in the fields of electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, as well as academic curriculum developments in the energy area.

“With the Southern Company’s support, we developed new courses and labs on hybrid electric and electric vehicles, did many undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. projects, publications, and more,” said Vantsevich.

Over the past four years, student participation in the collaborative research projects with Southern Company have resulted in one book (Advanced Autonomous Vehicle Design for Severe Environments), seven journal papers, and 43 conference papers.

Under Vantsevich’s direction in the Vehicle and Robotics Engineering Laboratory (VREL), three Ph.D. students, 12 master’s students, and 24 undergraduates have participated in research.