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Columbus State-Ohio State team earns top spot in Battery Workforce Challenge

Campus News | Monday, May 11, 2026

students and faculty advisers from Columbus State and Ohio State gather during the first-place award presentation in Detroit on May 8. With them, and kneeling on the left, is Michael Bly, senior vice president of Stellantis North America.

Above, students and faculty advisers from Columbus State and Ohio State gather during the first-place award presentation in Detroit on May 8. With them, and kneeling on the left, is Michael Bly, senior vice president of Stellantis North America. 

Sponsored by Stellantis and the U.S. Department of Energy, the national Battery Workforce Challenge began three years ago. The competition was designed to promote excellence in automotive and battery engineering.

Judges have announced that the team from The Ohio State University and Columbus State Community College is the winner of the contest.

Six Columbus State students were heavily involved throughout the project, with a handful of others providing varying levels of assistance. Students Andy Young, Matt Garduno, and Joe Borgerson joined Associate Professor Ian Andrews at the final competition and awards ceremony in Detroit. 

The three-year collegiate engineering competition challenged 11 teams from across North America to design and build an advanced battery pack for the commercial Ram ProMaster EV platform.

 “I think one of the coolest parts of this project was watching students grow over the course of three years—not just technically, but professionally as well,” said Andrews. “They had opportunities to work alongside engineers, OEM partners, suppliers, and students from multiple universities while contributing to a real vehicle development project. Experiences like that are hard to replicate in a traditional classroom environment.”

Andrews said that for the college, in automotive technology, the competition reinforced where the industry is headed. Electrification, battery systems, thermal management, diagnostics, and software integration, are all becoming a larger part of the modern technician skillset. The competition gave students exposure to those systems in a hands-on and meaningful way.

Andrews adds, “From the Columbus State perspective, the biggest value has probably been the visibility and partnerships that came along with the competition. It’s difficult for a community college to get this kind of national exposure alongside organizations such as Stellantis, the Department of Energy, and other major supplier partners. To be able to compete against—and ultimately beat—schools like the University of Michigan, Alabama, and several other major engineering programs was a proud moment for everyone involved.”

Two years ago, Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions – a trade publication – highlighted Andrews, and fellow Automotive Technology faculty member Steve Levin, for their efforts in guiding students working on the Battery Workforce Challenge. Levin, who has retired from Columbus State, and Andrews, were each named an Outstanding Faculty Advisor. 
(Read that 2024 story.) 

Read the PR Newswire news release.

 

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