John McPhee, Jamie Clark, Nasser Azad, Daiene Vernile, Pierre Normand, Pearl Sullivan and Brian May officially open the GAIA Research Facility.
A state-of-the-art automotive research and testing facility that was five years in the making officially opened at the University of Waterloo today with a twist on the old ship-christening tradition.
Instead of a hull, dignitaries marked the launch of the Green and Intelligent Automotive (GAIA) Research Facility by smashing bottles on a ceremonial tire.
“GAIA is the first of its kind in Canada,” Pearl Sullivan, Dean of Waterloo Engineering, told about 50 guests. “This is world-class. We now can compete head-on as an international player.”
A $10-million partnership involving the University, industry leaders, and the federal and provincial governments, GAIA features cutting-edge equipment in three labs covering 4,000 square feet of renovated space in the Engineering 3 building.
It is designed so that its three cells – batteries, powertrains and a rolling dynamometer that simulates driving in the real world – are fully integrated, enabling testing of the smallest components to whole vehicles under one roof.
Creating a 'smarter, safer ride'
“In GAIA we will develop the next generation of hybrid and electric vehicles, powered by new batteries and fuel-efficient engines, connected to the Internet and each other to create a smarter and safer ride with little or no emissions,” said Professor John McPhee, co-lead of the facility along with Professor Nasser Azad.
The latest infrastructure addition to the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR), the largest university-based automotive research centre in the country, work at GAIA will be led by eight professors from four engineering departments.
Its $5 million worth of equipment will allow about 150 faculty members and graduate students in all to identify problems and make modifications prior to trying their innovations out on test tracks, improving safety and saving both time and money.
Among other areas, research will focus on longer-lasting batteries to extend the range of electric vehicles, how to feed excess energy from vehicles back into the public power grid, and adaptive cruise controllers to maintain safe distances between vehicles while also reducing fuel consumption.