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P H A R M A C E U T I C A L C L I N I C A L C H E M I C A L F O O D E N V I R O N M E N T
w w w . l a b o r a t o r y f o c u s . c a
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 Volume 19, Number 3
Publications Mail Registration Number: 40052410
WATERLOO RESEARCH FACILITY
TO DEVELOP INTELLIGENT GREEN CARS
the Canada Foundation for Inno-
vation and the Ontario Research
Fund Research Infrastructure pro-
gram.
GAIA will consist of three labs:
one focusing on powertrain effi-
ciency, another on longer-lasting
batteries for hybrid and electric
cars, and a third lab for testing
research-modified hybrid electric
vehicles on rolling dynamom-
eters.
Alternative powertrains found in
electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid
electric vehicles are integral to
the future of transportation. De-
veloping intelligent software for
use in low-cost, on-board vehicle
computers can provide significant
reductions of both emissions and
fuel consumption.
Complex component systems
will contribute to the development
of new in-vehicle power electron-
ics and embedded controllers. The
result of this research work also
has the potential to enable hybrid
vehicles to feed energy into Cana-
da's electrical grid and become an
integral daytime supplier of low
cost energy.
"The GAIA facility will enable
world-class multidisciplinary re-
search with a strong collaborative
approach," said John McPhee,
a Waterloo systems design en-
gineering professor who heads
the GAIA project. The facility will
be accessible to a range of auto-
motive companies and universi-
ties currently partnering with the
University of Waterloo. Professor
McPhee will lead a research team
of eight professors from four dif-
ferent engineering departments.
As part of the Waterloo Centre
for Automotive Research (Wat-
CAR), which leads automotive-
academic collaboration in North
America, GAIA will support Ca-
nadian industry in providing new
components and systems into a
rapidly growing market. The facil-
ity has the capacity to conduct
confidential projects simultane-
ously, offering open access for any
company. To meet demand, it is
expected new companies will be
established, while existing manu-
facturers will evolve their product
offerings.
To see this story online visit
http://www.laboratoryfocus.
ca/?p=3373
A new breed of smarter and
greener cars than current models
could emerge from technology de-
veloped at a new research facility
at the University of Waterloo.
The $10 million Green and Intel-
ligent Automotive (GAIA) research
facility is established today in the
Faculty of Engineering with $1
million initial funding from Toyota
Motor Manufacturing Canada
(TMMC). The Governments of
Canada and Ontario are also pro-
viding $2.1 million each through
Clean or
Contaminated?
Page 8
Safety &
Simplicity in
the lab Page 13
John McPhee heads the GAIA project. (Credit: NSERC)
