OSHAWA — Students from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, the University of Waterloo and the University of Victoria joined representatives from the Government of Canada and General Motors to launch the universities’ participation in the latest advanced technology vehicle competition, EcoCAR 2: Plugging in to the Future. The competition challenges these Canadian engineering students, together with 13 U.S. university teams, to reduce the environmental impact of vehicles without compromising performance, safety and consumer acceptability.
“The EcoCAR 2 competition offers an excellent showcase for the talent and ingenuity of Canadian university students who will be the workforce of tomorrow,” said the Honourable Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources. “This kind of innovative thinking will lead to cleaner and more efficient vehicles in the future and supports our government’s objectives to develop cleaner technologies.”
“The Government of Canada has a proud history of investing in the country's future generation of scientists and engineers,” added Colin Carrie, Member of Parliament for Oshawa. “Supporting our science students will enhance Canadian leadership in clean energy technology innovation.”
EcoCAR 2 is a three-year collegiate engineering competition led by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors. The program promotes best engineering practices, hands-on experience, exposure to international organizations and knowledge sharing to keep the North American automotive industry competitive in the global marketplace.
EcoCAR 2 requires students to explore a variety of powertrain architectures and follow a real-world engineering regimen modelled after GM’s three-year Global Vehicle Development Process. EcoCAR 2 teams will utilize a next-generation 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, donated by General Motors, as the integration platform for their advanced vehicle design.
“GM believes that cultivating diverse energy alternatives and developing advanced technologies are the keys to developing sustainable transportation,” said Matt Crossley, Director of Engineering at GM Canada. “EcoCAR 2 holds great potential by emphasizing the innovation and creativity needed to reinvent the automobile, while also enabling the next generation of engineers to lead this industry forward with their fresh new perspectives.”
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is contributing $100,000 to the first year of the program. NRCan has sponsored student engineering competitions since 1989 as part of its broader commitment to encourage the accelerated development and market-readiness of technology solutions in clean energy. EcoCAR 2 builds on the success of the EcoCAR competition that saw the University of Waterloo place third overall.
The Government of Canada and General Motors of Canada joined three Canadian university teams to launch participation in a new clean vehicle competition called EcoCAR 2. The competition challenges engineering students from 16 universities across North America to re-engineer a General Motors-donated vehicle to reduce the vehicle’s environment impact while maintaining its utility, safety and performance.
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