A partnership with automotive powertrain manufacturer Vitesco Technologies will see researchers at the University of Windsor develop a more environmentally sustainable and economically viable motor for electric vehicles.

“Our research will help our industry partners to mass produce advanced, lower cost, and sustainable electric machines and gain a competitive advantage in the global electric vehicle marketplace,” says electrical and computer engineering professor Narayan Kar, director of the Centre for Hybrid Automotive Research and Green Energy (CHARGE) lab. “Sustainable production of this technology will reduce EV ownership cost, while addressing the rare earth permanent magnet supply chain risks.”

Electric motors primarily use rare earth-based magnets, but these elements pose several difficulties. They are expensive, accounting for 20 to 30 per cent of the total cost of the motors; are limited in quantity; and their extraction and refinement process can cause environmental damage.

Dr. Kar’s team will develop an electric drive unit with a rare earth free or reduced magnet motor, which will help produce a sustainable solution with lower costs, fewer carbon dioxide emissions, less supply chain risks, and a better ratio of cost to performance.

Vitesco Technologies, headquartered in Regensburg, Germany, is a leading international developer and manufacturer of cutting-edge drive systems for sustainable mobility. In 2023, it generated sales of almost $14 billion and employed around 35,000 people in 50 locations.

The company’s North American director of technology and innovation, Anand Gandhi, says recent years have shown a clear need for developing electric vehicles free of rare earth magnets. He touts the CHARGE Lab as a key academic partner in this work.

“The partnership between Vitesco Technologies and the University of Windsor has got off to a great start and we expect to further our collaboration in the coming years,” Dr. Gandhi says.

The project will also involve Ettractive, a developer of electric vehicle hardware, software, and systems based in Oldcastle; and professor Ofelia Jianu from the Department of Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering, who will provide expertise on developing, integrating, and testing an integrated thermal management system for the motor.

In addition to contributions from the industry partners, the effort has attracted grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Mitacs, totalling $3 million in cash and in-kind to fund Kar’s research over the next three years.

“During this time, we will train more than 20 highly qualified personnel at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels,” he says. “They will work alongside their industry partners, which will offer an enriching experience through significant research, technical, leadership, and professional skill development opportunities.”

He adds the students will collaborate with five engineers from Vitesco to address challenges using expertise, resources, and technology toward research, development, integration, and testing of the drive units.

“As the electric vehicle sector evolves, continued research and commercialization will enable the development of a sustainable local powertrain supply chain that will support economic diversification and further position Canada as a global automotive market leader,” Kar says.

To keep up with the latest in the CHARGE Lab, visit www.chargelabs.ca.

Tours to highlight aspects of Windsor life are open to all members of the campus community.

Offered by the Student Success and Leadership Centre as part of orientation activities, Tour Tuesday is set for Sept. 3.

Starting at 1 p.m. from the Involvement Fair in front of Dillon Hall, the choices include a walk through four locations on the Old Sandwich-Indigenous History tour to learn how the University of Windsor and the surrounding area are engaging in truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and communities. This tour will take approximately one hour.

Others will explore the main campus, the Toldo Lancer Centre, or best study spaces. All the tours involve travel, so be sure to dress appropriately in comfortable footwear. Find more details on the Welcome Week website.

Steven Ilijanich, a second-year Bachelor of Education student, was recently awarded a $4,000 scholarship from the Direct Sellers Association of Canada (DSA).

The DSA: Scholarship Program offers $16,000 in scholarships to full-time Canadian post-secondary students whose lives have been positively impacted by the direct selling industry.

“Our 2024 scholarship recipients have demonstrated dedication to their academic pursuits and embody the principles of entrepreneurship and community service taught through direct selling,” says DSA Canada president Peter Maddox.

Ilijanich was ecstatic to hear that he had received the scholarship.

“It’s a wonderful feeling” he shared, “I’m honoured to be recognized by an organization like DSA, who financially help individuals like me pursue their education and future careers.”

A branch manager and part-time sales representative for Vector Marketing, Ilijanich says the direct selling industry has impacted him in numerous ways, highlighting that he quickly realized the value of being rewarded based from effort he invested daily.

“I have little fear now when it comes to coming up with new ideas, asking questions, or taking a chance,” he says. “In sales, you are told no more often than you are yes, and it can be an emotional roller coaster. This experience has helped me regulate my emotions, improve my people skills, and believe in what I am presenting, and that is something I will bring with me into the classroom.”

Ilijanich intends to use part of the scholarship towards his tuition and part to invest in better learning resources for his grade school placements.

To learn more about his direct selling journey and educational pursuits, check out his video submission.

Posting your activity as an event on the uwindsor.ca website will help spread the word.

The central calendar at www.uwindsor.ca/event-calendar captures every post of events made on Drupal sites across the University’s domain, proving a single source both for potential attendees looking for something to do and a way for organizers to avoid scheduling conflicts.

Content providers who notice that their website event listings are not shared through the central calendar should send a note to pac@uwindsor.ca to correct the omission.

UWindsor-affiliated groups which do not use the Drupal content management system may submit events for consideration by filling out the form on the calendar page or here: forms.office.com/r/K1B8d5pYvj.