A new, C$10m Green and Intelligent Automotive (GAIA) research center is to open at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, next week (January 18). It will enable engineers to gain new insights into mechanical, electrical, thermal, and wireless behavior of powertrains and hybrid/electric vehicles, as well as validate new vehicle technologies in real-world conditions. Its infrastructure will be tightly integrated using a model-based design, enabling simultaneous system-level testing of components from each of its test cells: powertrain, battery, and vehicle.
Professor John McPhee will head up the operation and work alongside seven other experts from four different departments as well as students and researchers from industry organizations.