There are two important facts to take away from this article: Durham Region’s business have more than 100 years of experience in building mobility solutions and Durham Region is the Clean Energy Capital of Canada. In thinking of these two facts and what the next ten years will look like for the automotive industry, it becomes clear that Durham Region is at the centre of the future of electric vehicle innovation.
These facts aren’t particularly new; but they were recently brought to the forefront at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas where Project Arrow made its debut. A demonstration of Ontario-made innovation and Canadian ingenuity, Project Arrow is the Made-in-Canada electric, connected vehicle of the future.
Canada’s first zero emissions concept vehicle was launched by the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA). Over the last three years, the project received over $8 million of funding from several government bodies, including $5 million from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and $1.8 million from the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN). Over the course of the project, 58 Canadian industry partners came together to design and build a revolutionary prototype vehicle.
Ontario Tech University was named the lead academic institution for Phase 2 of the project. The team at Ontario Tech were responsible for engineering specifications and aerodynamic testing, as well as converting the designs into a final product, building Project Arrow at the Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE), a core research facility on the campus.
Ontario Tech University attracts the brightest research and academic minds in areas including additive manufacturing, automotive engineering, aerodynamics, electrification, energy storage, battery chemistry and cybersecurity. The university was chosen as the build partner due to its global reputation for excellence in energy, automotive, smart mobility and engineering research expertise.
The Ontario Tech Project Arrow team progressed the project from initial supplier meetings all the way to part design, fabrication, and full build. Whereas today’s cars are typically built on assembly lines, every design and fabrication de- tail of the Arrow, from the decision on type and placement for every bolt, to the full installation and build, was completed on campus by a team of experts and future talent form the university’s engineering programs. The team collaborated with the APMA’s many partner, including industry leaders, start-ups and large Tier-1 suppliers across Canada to contribute and collaborate on Project Arrow.
This project leaves a lasting legacy at the institution, building upon the University’s exemplary track record with industry partners for world-class research and testing and automotive prototype building capacity. These factors are in addition to the ACE Climatic Aerodynamic Wind Tunnel’s unique ca- capabilities for concept development, including the capacity to simulate extreme cold and powerful windstorms.
An Intersection of Innovation
“We have a more than 100-year history in automotive innovation, and we’re the Clean Energy Capital of Canada,” reiterates Dan Ruby, manager of business development and investment at Invest Durham, continuing “we sit at the intersection of energy and automotive. If you think of two circles, each representing one industry, the overlap of these—well, that’s the electric vehicle.”
The talent pool in Durham is built upon years of industry strength in energy and automotive innovation, plus the graduates from the only accredited Nuclear Engineering and Automotive Engineering programs in Canada (both at Ontario Tech University). The intersection of these industries and their talent sets up Durham for the years ahead as the way we travel transforms.
Project Arrow is now headed on a two-year publicity tour, and the roads it travels will all lead back to Durham Region. Those just hearing about Durham Region and its potential through Project Arrow should be motivated to act quickly and invest in Durham Region, placing themselves along industry giants like General Motors, Volkswagen, Audi, Lear Systems, as well as innova- tive start-ups leading in AI and robotics such as Axcessiom Technologies and Korechi Innovations.
Dan Ruby notes Durham Region is excited to grow. “Project Arrow is a busi- ness card for Durham’s innovation community. Be sure to get in touch.”
Learn more: InvestDurham.ca
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