We are thrilled to share with you the most recent announcements and developments in the Windsor-Essex region for the month of May. See below to read our top highlights.
IWE’s Automobility and Innovation team attended the Electric Autonomy EV Charging Expo in Toronto
The Invest WindsorEssex Automobility and Innovation team attended the Electric Autonomy’s EV & Charging Expo 2023 on May 17 and 18 in Toronto.
The team had the pleasure of representing and promoting the Windsor-Essex EV ecosystem and the Windsor-Essex Regional Technology Development Site (RTDS) programs and services funded through the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN).
They had the opportunity to test drive and discover the latest commercial electric vehicles and charging solutions. The team also hosted The Un-Hackable Vehicle: Data Privacy and the Connected Car workshop in partnership with the University of Windsor, Vehiqilla Inc. and AlphaKOR Group. A discussion and Q&A followed that focused on:
- Vehicle network security
- Fleet vehicle security
- Vehicle hardware and software security
- Automotive cybersecurity
Learn more about the Expo here
Meet IWE’s Executive Director of Mobility Partnerships and Innovation, Matthew Johnson
Matthew Johnson is the Executive Director of Mobility Partnerships and Innovation at Invest WindsorEssex. Matthew leads a team of technical engineers and program management staff to deliver programs and support services for companies in the mobility sector. He is responsible for developing strategic partnerships in the innovation and mobility sector for Invest WindsorEssex and has over a decade of experience delivering public programs.
Matthew has worked with all three levels of government in Canada in an economic development role and holds a Masters of Public Service from the University of Waterloo. Matthew grew up in Windsor-Essex and has lived/worked internationally before returning home to support economic and innovation growth in his community.
First Canada/United States EV charging corridor runs through Windsor
The first of its kind, the new United States/Canada EV corridor will see electric vehicle charging stations installed every 80 km along a 1,400 km route stretching from Quebec City to Kalamazoo, Michigan.
In Canada, the Alternative Fuel corridor will run from Windsor to Toronto along Highway 401, then into Montreal on Highway 20, continuing along Highway 42 before stopping in Quebec City. In the United States, it will be limited to the I-94 from Detroit to Kalamazoo. The corridor’s Canadian side already has 215 charging stations. Sixty-one are between Detroit and Toronto, and 154 are between Toronto and Quebec City. Each charging station has at least one direct-current fast charger with a combined charging system connector within six km of the highway.
“I think it’s fitting that this first U.S./Canada EV corridor runs through both Detroit and Windsor, two of the world’s great auto manufacturing centres,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “About US$148 billion in cross-border trade came through Detroit this past year alone, and about a third of that was related to the auto sector.” READ MORE
University of Windsor hosts inaugural FuturECar Conference – EV technology in Canada is quickly progressing
The University of Windsor’s Centre for Hybrid Automotive Research and Green Energy (CHARGE) Lab, together with the Faculty of Engineering and the Office of Research Partnerships took part in the inaugural FuturECar Conference on May 5. Our Automobility and Innovation team attended the conference which brought together industry experts, key stakeholders and academics from across North America to discuss the current research and developments in electric vehicle technology.
Director of the University of Windsor’s CHARGE Lab, Narayan Kar said “Here we are trying to make a new technology that can work equivalent in performance in terms of driving distance, cost, and durability, to gasoline engines. That’s what we’re trying to do, to get there in a very short amount of time. It will take time, so we need to be patient. But we are moving fast, and we see that everyone is responding to this emergency need of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving the climate.”
In addition to networking, those in attendance toured the CHARGE Lab, an internationally recognized research and development, system design and commercial test centre. The lab recently underwent a $4 million renovation, more than doubling the lab’s footprint and capabilities. READ MORE