Case Study: Virginia Tech achieves streamlined inventory and accounting for its AutoDrive autonomous car program with Odoo

Virginia Tech Sets the Pace for Autonomous Cars in the SAE AutoDrive Challenge

Virginia Tech’s Victor Tango AutoDrive Team is a student-led group competing in the three‑year SAE AutoDrive Challenge to build a Level 4 autonomous vehicle by converting a 2017 Chevy Bolt. The 30‑member team must not only develop complex sensing and driving software for urban courses, but also manage large quantities of parts, sponsor funds, and real‑world business processes required to keep the program running.

To handle procurement, inventory, donations and finances the team implemented Odoo SaaS (Inventory, Accounting, Invoicing, Warehouse, Studio and Discuss). Out‑of‑the‑box, modular apps gave Victor Tango clear tracking of receipts, locations and spending on hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment without custom development. The result: smoother workflows, stronger financial and inventory control, and a successful first year with a 3rd‑place overall finish and top‑three placings in both static and dynamic events as they head into year two.

Virginia Tech

Bhavi Bharat Kotha

Graduate Research Assistant