Hamilton students winners at international EV competition
The team, comprising students from McMaster University and Mohawk College, placed first of 12 post-secondary engineering teams from across North America in the second of a three-year
Battery Workforce Challenge competition
that began in 2023.
The task? Design, build and test a battery pack for a 2024 Ram ProMaster commercial electric van.
Students developed 'battery architecture' for an EV, including a battery module and disconnect unit, as well as related software. Designs are reviewed by industry experts to 'elevate students' understanding' of the design process, reads a May 12 news release. Each team, made up of students from a university and vocational school or Canadian college, presented its product to a panel, and were judged on design, project management, and market development and communications.
'This year's students have shown the determination and potential to be among the top engineers and technicians in the automotive space,' Micky Bly, senior vice-president at automaker Stellantis said in the release.
Teams from Ohio and Indiana took second and third places.
The Stellantis-sponsored competition is managed by science and technology research centre Argonne National Laboratory in collaboration with the United States Department of Energy.
Students participate in workshops and other educational events as part of the program, Bly said.
The competition is part of a broader program to cultivate 'a strong cohort of skilled engineers' that offers regional training, STEM education for youth and an online tool for careers and education in related fields.
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