The Government of Canada is showing its commitment to the automotive vehicles of the future by supporting five new projects as part of the Automotive Partnership Canada initiative.
Among the projects being supported will be: the development of a battery pack thermal management system for hybrid electric vehicles; enhanced fuel cell technology; improved automotive manufacturing workplace design and ergonomics; more efficient systems for wheel production; and performance-enhancing catalytic converters.
Let’s take a closer look at each of the projects:
- Integrated, intelligent energy management systems for hybrid electric vehicles: SimonFraserUniversity and Future Vehicle Technologies Inc picks up $798,906 to develop efficient thermal management systems that can reduce the cost and weight of hybrid electric vehicles while ensuring long-term, problem-free operation.
- Development of next generation heavy duty fuel cells with enhanced durability: This time Simon Fraser University and Ballard Power Systems pick up $4,051,075 to work on the development and enhancement of the proton exchange membrane that is a bottleneck for durability and the lifetime of a fuel cell stack and hybrid electric drive for transit buses.
- Next generation water-cooled low-pressure die for the production of automotive wheels: The University of British Columbia and Canadian Autoparts Toyota Inc benefits from $726,859 to develop water-cooling elements that will be placed within the die at key locations to rapidly cool the wheel while carefully controlling the path of the solidification front and eliminate void formation. This includes the development of advanced computational tools.
- Development of a multi-chamber catalytic converter: The University of Alberta and Vida Holdings Inc pick up $180,629 to address concerns over pollutants in vehicle exhausts particularly during the cold-start period.
- Improving automotive manufacturing design and ergonomics through work simulation and digital human modelling: In this instance, McMaster University and the United States Council for Automotive Research collect $798,625 with the hope of contributing to a reduction in workplace musculoskeletal disorders and improving efficiency of the automotive manufacturing design and launch cycle.
