Meet a car of the future and the students who built it

UVic’s EcoCAR 2 team of engineering students are not just getting hands-on experience while they study, they’re getting their hands dirty.

Since April 2011, close to 40 students in mechanical, electrical, computer and software engineering, and business programs have been hard at work—at the computer workstations and at the car hoist—as one of 15 North American university teams participating in the EcoCAR 2: Plugging into the Future, re-designing and retrofitting a GM-donated 2013 Chevrolet Malibu with next generation plug-in hybrid electric powertrain technology. UVic was only one of two Canadian universities invited to participate in the elite competition established and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors, Natural Resources of Canada, and 28 other major industrial and government sponsors.

The challenge is to reduce the environmental impact of the stock vehicle by improving its fuel efficiency and reducing its emissions, while retaining the vehicle’s performance and consumer appeal.

Teams are given the opportunity to carry out research and access to industry-leading technology, knowledge and training, enabling them to produce a 99% market-ready vehicle with show-room quality. This is the final stage of the three-year competition and the culmination of six years of UVic's involvement since the first round of EcoCAR 1.

On Wednesday May 21, 4 p.m., UVic’s EcoCAR 2 team is hosting a send-off event with faculty, dignitaries and members of the UVic community at the Green Vehicle Research, Testing and Training Centre—a.k.a. the Green Garage—to kick the tires of one of the vehicles of the future and meet the team of future engineers and their advisor.

**Media, please note: EcoCAR 2 team members and faculty will be available for media only from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at UVic’s Green Vehicle Testing Facilities in the Engineering Garage, next to "Q Hut" and the Enterprise Centre, near the intersection of Gabriola Road and McKenzie Avenue. See map.
 

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