University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team

Austin Texas - The Winter Workshop Recap

2012-02-28T23:17:00.005-08:00

As mentioned in "What a month!" here's the recap from UWAFT's participation in the Winter Workshop...

The University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team kicked off February by attending the EcoCAR 2 Winter Workshop in Austin, Texas. Two of the engineering competition’s sponsors, Freescale and dSPACE, co-hosted the workshop for the 16 teams, which was held at Freescale’s headquarters.

The Winter Workshop was designed to provide the teams with detailed sessions from competition organizers (such as General Motors, the U.S. Department of Energy and Argonne National Laboratory). Also, sponsors who donated components and software tools to all the teams provided detailed training - dSPACE, A123 Systems, Freescale, AVL Powertrain Engineering, CD-adapco, Siemens, and Vector.

The workshop was also opportunity to put UWAFT and the other teams to the test in their first in-person scored presentations for technical, outreach, and business.

For the technical team, they successfully presented their Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) progress on controlling the stock vehicle in a simulated environment. While the outreach presentations were given to groups of middle school and high school students from the Austin area. There was also a judged youth outreach presentation.

Overall, the Winter Workshop was a hit for everyone involved. Students from each team had plenty of opportunities to network among themselves as well as with representatives from the sponsoring organizations. It also provided an exciting opportunity for the sponsors to learn more about the progress each team as made so far!

UWAFT team at the Winter Workshop pose with the EcoCAR 2 Chevrolet Malibu

What a month!

2012-02-28T22:55:00.004-08:00

The month of February has been extremely busy for the University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team (UWAFT). Thankfully 2012 is a leap year so we have an extra day to catch our breath!

At the beginning of February several members of our team attending the Winter Workshop for the EcoCAR 2 competition. A recap post of the workshop will follow...

Upon their return from the Austin, Texas each of the teams in the competition launched their official websites. If you haven't already, check out UWAFT's site at www.uwaft.com.

Following the website launch, the awards for best website were announced February 10th on the Green Garage Blog. The University of Waterloo placed 3rd! The first place prize went to Penn State's website. You can read the announcement here. Congratulations to Denis Pankov, Director of Social Media and everyone on the team that helped him to structure, format, and edit the content of our site.

Then it was Reading Week. A week for our team members to go home or travel, continue working on EcoCAR 2/UWAFT and of course catch up on reading!

With March just a day away, UWAFT is now busier then ever as Year 1 of the competition draws nearer to its end. Look out for more frequent and exciting updates from UWAFT. And don't forget to check us out on any of the following sites. Feedback, comments, questions, likes, and tweets are all welcomed and appreciated!

Commercializing Innovation with UWAFT

2012-02-28T22:52:00.004-08:00

Recently, the University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team (UWAFT) participated in The Canadian Institute’s Forum on Commercializing Cleantech in Toronto, Ontario. The Forum consisted of a series of panel discussions filled with a variety of distinguished industry and government representatives. The event began with a keynote address by Albert Behr, President of Behr and Associates Inc. – a consulting firm that specializes in the commercialization of ‘clean’ technology. Concluding the event was the Honourable Glen Murray, Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation, who spoke about due diligence and the cleantech regulatory framework in Canada.

Outreach Coordinator Mark Goody

Team Captain Gurhari Singh and Outreach Coordinator Mark Goody represented UWAFT during the two day event. Unlike past events, which have been focused on campus and community outreach, the forum on Commercializing Cleantech was an industry-based conference. It provided UWAFT with significant learning and networking opportunities. It was also an ideal environment to speak with potential sponsors for UWAFT!

In addition to acquiring valuable business knowledge and industry contacts, Singh and Goody had the opportunity to promote the team and the EcoCAR 2 competition. Alternative fuel technology was a large part of the conference and it is clear that Canada’s industry and government are committed to building a more sustainable transportation future!

Detroit - North American Auto Show

2012-01-24T23:06:00.001-08:00

An insightful review of cars at the North American Auto Show in Detroit (January 2012) by John DeCicco, Professor of Practice at the School of Natural Resources and Environment and Research Professor at the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute at University of Michigan.

Which car do you think is the most innovative?

2012-01-19T09:03:00.002-08:00

When the University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team (UWAFT) began to select its powertrain for EcoCAR2, they turned to FleetCarma to develop a data-driven selection process. FleetCarma, EcoCAR 2′s newest Silver Sponsor, offers tools designed to help fleet managers select the right vehicle for any fleet application. They work with fleet managers to analyze the cost effectiveness of potential replacement vehicles over their entire service lives.

Fleet managers who want to go green understand that they need to consider the Total Cost of Ownership to make decisions regarding vehicle purchases. For example, they weigh the higher initial cost of an electric vehicle (EV) versus its operational savings down the road. They also want to know whether an EV will be capable of doing the job with enough range and charge capabilities.

The FleetCarma system is a unique way to determine the right vehicle for a job because it uses a simple-to-install OBD data logger to capture duty cycle and operational needs. That usage pattern is then fed to FleetCarma’s backend system, where it is run through a number of simulations depending on which vehicles are being considered for purchase. The results include the vehicle’s real-world fuel consumption and provide detailed analysis of potential replacement vehicles. In a nutshell, the system determines whether any electric vehicle will (a) do the job that is required and (b) offer worthwhile cost saving and emission reduction benefits.

FleetCarma’s head office is located in Waterloo, Ontario and the company employs several UWAFT alumni. UWAFT maintains an active relationship with the company, so the team was excited to use FleetCarma’s system to help select and test powertrain configurations and components for its EcoCAR 2 vehicle. UWAFT deployed FleetCarma’s data loggers on various vehicles to capture real-world drive cycles. These cycles were then reviewed for statistics such as daily driving distance, duration and driver aggressiveness. In total over 171,000 km of driving distance was captured, which resulted in 4,900 hours’ worth of driving data. These cycles were also fed into more than 20 vehicle models, where the projected real-world fuel consumption was measured and compared. For UWAFT, this helped design a vehicle that would achieve the best possible real-world fuel consumption and energy and emissions reductions

Stay tuned as UWAFT and the rest of the EcoCAR 2 teams announce their chosen vehicle architectures during the Winter Workshop in just three weeks!

Introducing the “Engine” Behind UWAFT’s Vehicle Design

2011-12-22T06:15:00.001-08:00

EcoCAR 2 Platinum-level sponsor dSPACE Inc. recently donated a Mid-Size Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Simulator to the University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team (UWAFT) along with each of the other 14 teams competing in EcoCAR 2. dSPACE’s donation is an invaluable tool that helps develop vehicle controllers quickly and safely. UWAFT will use the HIL to test the supervisory controller, which will later be used on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu.

An HIL Simulator such as the one donated by dSPACE is used for testing automotive vehicle controllers systematically and automatically. Vehicles sold today typically have a dozen controllers. These include engine, transmission and anti-lock brake controllers, among many others. A tool that allows for systematic and automatic testing can save automakers and part suppliers millions of dollars; hence dSPACE’s HIL is critical to the development process.

So how does dSPACE’s HIL work? A model of a component is first programmed on a computer. For example, UWAFT programs its engine model using MathWorks’ MATLAB and SIMULINK. These models are then run in real-time on the dSPACE HIL. The engine controller is then connected to the HIL and tested. If the computer model of the engine is done correctly the engine controller cannot tell the difference between the HIL engine and the real engine.

The neat part of the engine system is automation. UWAFT can program a series of tests on HIL and see how the engine controller will react. For example, the HIL can simulate an engine overheating or a low oil situation. If the engine controller is programmed correctly, it should shut down the engine to prevent damage. Using this testing method is much cheaper than breaking an actual engine, and therefore saves companies millions of dollars – and UWAFT a few broken engines!

The dSPACE Mid-Size HIL Simulator in UWAFT's Garage

The other benefit of the HIL is that concepts can be tested before being implemented on the actual vehicle. This allows UWAFT team members to test various cutting-edge ideas without the risk of damaging expensive prototype components. Overall the use of the Mid-Size HIL Simulator will enable UWAFT to safely integrate and implement a vehicle controller, resulting in a quicker and better design than would have been impossible without dSPACE’s invaluable donation!

UWAFT Spreading the News of EcoCAR 2

2011-12-07T10:45:00.002-08:00

The University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team (UWAFT) has kicked off its outreach program in full force for EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future. Since October’s kickoff workshop in Detroit, Michigan, UWAFT has been travelling throughout Ontario, promoting awareness of EcoCAR 2.

On October 28th, UWAFT attended CareerMash at the Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto, Ontario. CareerMash promotes information technology (IT) careers to high school students. This was an exciting opportunity to discuss IT careers in the automotive industry and showcase both UWAFT and the EcoCAR 2 competition.

UWAFT also attended a TEDxUW event hosted by the University of Waterloo on November 12th which showcased presentations of prominent innovators and pioneers in their respective fields. Speakers shared their ideas and provoked vibrant discussions and conversations around the challenges of taking action, turning ideas into reality and making change happen.

Furthermore, on November 16th, UWAFT attended the Peel Environmental Youth Alliance (PEYA) EcoBuzz Conference in Brampton, Ontario. This event was targeted at GTA high school students, with the aim of encouraging them to explore environmental issues by using alternative forms of media. PEYA inspires student action projects with peer support. The EcoBuzz Conference featured David Suzuki as a keynote speaker!

David Suzuki (left) speaking to Outreach Coordinator Mark Goody (middle) and Team Captain Gurhari Singh (right)

Today, UWAFT will be attending Pollution Probe’s Annual Gala Dinner at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Ontario. The Gala brings together 400 to 500 leaders from industry and government for an evening of networking and celebration. This year’s theme is ‘innovation,’ which will allow UWAFT to promote hybrid electric vehicles of the future and its participation in EcoCAR 2.