CAAT Tracks
August 2016
Center for Advanced Automotive Technology
Working with educators and industry to drive the skills needed for the next generation of automotive technicians, engineering technologists, and designers.
In This Issue
Calling All Automotive Technical Trainers, Sponsors, and Exhibitors!

The 2017 Conference for the North American Council of Automotive Teachers (NACAT) will be held at Macomb Community College's (MCC) South Campus on July 17-20, 2017. With summer coming to a close, it will be here before we know it!

Each year, the NACAT Conference offers hundreds of the best automotive teachers in the U.S. and Canada (many of whom return year after year) 20 hours of technical training, with more than 140 educator and technical update training sessions over four days. In addition, a trade show and silent auction will be held at MCC's Sports and Expo Center on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

MCC and the CAAT are currently seeking technical trainers, sponsors, and exhibitors to participate in this international automotive training conference! Being a NACAT trainer, exhibitor, or sponsor is a great way for you and your company to connect with conference participants. Available corporate sponsorships include: Coffee Break sponsor ($500), Bronze ($2,500), Silver ($3,500), Gold ($5,000), and Title Sponsor ($7,500 - only one available). Conference activities and special events can also be sponsored.

All Sponsorships include:
  • Participation in all conference activities for at least 2 people (according to the level of sponsorship)
  • Listing on the NACAT 2017 website and a link to your corporate website from the NACAT main website
  • Your company name on advertising mailings and printed materials
  • Sponsor signs prominently displayed at all conference activities
  • Opportunity to display large banners to advertise your company
  • Publicity in at least two mailings to NACAT members
  • Copies of the conference directory
For more information on how you and your company can engage with MCC and NACAT on this event, please contact Sherri Doherty at dohertys@macomb.edu or 586-447-8618. Additional information can be found on the CAAT's NACAT 2017 page.
Macomb's Engineering & Applied Technology Programs Receive $35,000 from The Garden Party for Student Scholarships!

The Garden Party Foundation recently presented Macomb Community College with a check for $35,000 to provide scholarships to students enrolled in Macomb's Engineering and Applied Technology Programs.The funds were raised at the organization's annual fine food, wine, and classic car fundraising event which was held earlier this summer at Meadowbrook Hall.

The check presentation was held at the Meadowbrook Hall Rock Garden on August 22. The Garden Party Foundation Co-Founders, Sydney and Elizabeth Ross, presented the check to Macomb Community College President, Jim Jacobs; Macomb's Engineering and Advanced Technology Dean, Joe Petrosky; and CAAT Director, Bob Feldmaier.

The CAAT sends a big "thank you" to The Garden Party Foundation for their generous support of Macomb's Engineering and Applied Technology Programs!
Sydney Ross, Jim Jacobs, Joe Petrosky, Elizabeth Ross, Bob Feldmaier
Upcoming CAAT Activities
Register Now for the FREE Design and Manufacturing Alliance Fall Conference!

The next Design and Manufacturing Alliance (DMA) fall conference will be held at Kettering University in Flint, MI on October 14, 2016. The conference theme is " Finding the Yellow Brick Road to the Future" (Technology and Engineering Pathways). The event will focus on future employment opportunities in the automotive industry. It will feature keynote and guest speakers to emphasize the role that women do, and will play, in industry. Speakers will also review the emerging industry-education partnerships that exist and suggest new opportunities that the industry will likely provide. They will do this through personal experiences and relevant data. Additionally, the conference will feature a student panel to provide a broader perspective of the industry-education interactions. As usual, there will be an opportunity to ask questions and network with presenters and peers. The conference is FREE, but advance registration is required. Register today.

The DMA mission is to encourage and foster communication, networking, and partnerships among design and manufacturing industry companies, their professional associations, government, and educators across Southeast Michigan. The DMA also supports educational networking with design and manufacturing organizations, their professional associations, and government offices to ensure accurate career information is available to students, and academic programs and curricula are developed that are appropriate to the skills required for the jobs that do, and will, exist in these industries. In addition, the organization encourages and arranges design and manufacturing opportunities such as tours, internships, co-ops, and job shadowing for educators and students.
steam
MCC and CAAT Welcome New Sponsors and Exhibitors to the Auto STEAM Days Event

The CAAT and Macomb Community College (MCC) will be hosting its first Auto STEAM Days event for middle and high school students on October 19-20, 2016, at MCC's Sports and Expo Center in Warren, MI. Each day will offer a morning session from 8:30 - 11:00 a.m. and an afternoon session from 11:30 - 2:00 p.m.

As noted previously, the Automotive Design and Engineering sector will feature exhibits by General Motors on clay/digital modeling, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on sketching, and Ford Motor Company on production design. We are pleased to announce that Magna was recently added to this sector and will offer an exhibit on automated and connected vehicles!

The Manufacturing and Technology sector will offer an exhibit on robotics and PLC programming by KUKA Robotics, a combined exhibit on 3D printing and virtual welding by DASI Solutions and Macomb Community College, an exhibit by Siemens on coding/traffic light programming, and an exhibit by Bosch.

An additional module will feature an exciting car show (presented jointly by General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Ford Motor Company) that will allow students to sit behind the wheel and talk to real automobile designers and engineers.

Special thanks to our 2016 Auto STEAM Days event sponsors: Magna has signed on to be an Age of Manufacturing Leadership Sponsor at $10,000, KUKA Robotics will be an Age of Invention Sponsor at $2,500, and DASI Solutions will be an Age of Knowledge Sponsor at $1,000! Companies interested in sponsoring this event should contact Val Corbett at corbettv@macomb.edu.

Registration for schools will be open from September 19 through October 12, 2016. Registration information will be provided in our next issue.

Students are encouraged to bring their parents, family, and others to "Explore Careers in Manufacturing and Technology" on Thursday, October 20 from 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. This related event will provide attendees the opportunity to receive more in-depth information on automotive and technology careers from recent graduates and local employers. Attendance is free, but advance registration is required. Registration information will be provided in our next issue.
2016 Comedy & Cocktails Fundraising Event to Benefit Macomb's Engineering & Advanced Technology Program and Students

You are cordially invited to attend Macomb Community College's 2016 Comedy & Cocktails Fundraising Experience presented by First State, Your Hometown Bank. Join us for an evening of fun and entertainment featuring cocktails, hors d'oeurves, a silent auction, raffle, and other exciting hands-on experiences, followed by an elegant seated dinner and private comedic performance by Live from Chicago! The Second City Touring Company. Proceeds from this fundraising experience benefit the Engineering and Advanced Technology students and programs at Macomb Community College.

The event will be held on Friday, October 21 at Macomb's South Campus Sports & Expo Center in Warren, MI. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails and appetizers, a raffle, and a silent auction. Dinner will begin at 7:00 p.m. with the comedy performance following at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $150 per person. Tables of 10 receive a 10% discount!

As the event is scheduled for the day after the Auto STEAM event, in the same location, those attending the Comedy & Cocktails event will get the added benefit of being able to experience some of the modules from the Auto STEAM event, including virtual welding, 3D printing, and clay modeling.

CAAT Director, Bob Feldmaier, is on the event planning committee and is donating a very exciting experience to the silent auction! Don't miss your chance to find our what it is - register today!

Click here to purchase tickets and to download the sponsorship and silent auction forms.
Recent CAAT Activities
Did You Miss the CAAT Webinar on Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles? It's Not Too Late, Download the Audio File and Slides Today!

The CAAT recently conducted its 4 th free webinar for nearly 60 registered participants from 19 states and 6 countries. The webinar, titled Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles: The Other Electric Vehicle, explained the operational characteristics of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells, compared them to other energy storage systems, and outlined the start of new fuel-cell educational programs. CAAT Assistant Director, Nelson Kelly, and John Frala from Rio Hondo College's Advanced Transportation Technology department were the webinar presenters.

Kelly's presentation focused on why fuel cell technology is an important component to improving efficiency, reducing emissions, and advancing towards a sustainable transportation system. Currently, vehicles use internal combustion engines powered by petroleum that generate heat and convert some of that heat into mechanical energy. Fuel cells, like batteries, use electrochemistry to produce electricity that can be utilized by efficient electric motors and produce no tailpipe emissions except water so they are zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). Regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) are forcing automakers to build electric vehicles. In particular, CARB predicts that fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) will need to comprise over half of the light-duty vehicle fleet in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 87% compared to 2000 levels. Thus, although most people presently think of battery and hybrid electric vehicles as comprising the spectrum of electric vehicles, over the next 10 to 30 years, fuel cell/hydrogen powered vehicles could actually be the dominant electric vehicle.

Kelly's presentation 1) provided an explanation of the chemistry in a simple battery versus that in a fuel cell, 2) explained how the components of a fuel cell work, 3) compared battery electric, fuel cell, and internal combustion systems, and 4) showed how hydrogen can be made using renewable energy such as solar energy.

Frala's presentation demonstrated how far the technology has progressed in California. Several auto makers are currently selling FCEVs and there are 25 hydrogen dispensing stations presently operating, with 35 more in progress, and 82 total stations planned by 2021. California bill AB-8 allocates $20 million annually to fund the building of hydrogen fueling stations. Typically, the hydrogen is dispensed at a pressure of 10,000 psi and is stored in very robust tanks. Maintaining and repairing FCEVs will require a new type of automotive technician that has a stronger STEM background, especially in chemistry and physics. Rio Hondo College is pioneering training such technicians, and is addressing, with their partner at Central Oregon Community College, a certification process for technicians who work on vehicles with high-voltage and high-pressure flammable gases. Frala pointed out that there are jobs waiting for such technicians in transportation as well as stationary power applications for fuel cells as California works to reduce diesel engine back-up power systems.

Participants asked a variety of questions on system durability, safety, fueling time, and availability of hydrogen fueling stations and fuel cell vehicles outside California.

Approximately half of the people who attended the live webinar completed a survey at the end of the event. More than 88% of the survey respondents identified themselves as educators or school administrators, a core target group for CAAT activities and events.

We are pleased to report that the survey responses indicate the webinar was highly successful! Of those who completed the survey:
  • More than 93% indicated the webinar overall was either extremely valuable (62.5%) or very valuable (31.25%)
  • Approximately 31% noted they plan to visit the CAAT website
  • Approximately 31% advised they plan to download classroom ready educational materials from the free CAAT resource library
Of the 88% of survey respondents who identified themselves as educators or school administrators:
  • Nearly 37% indicated they plan to modify or add new instructional materials to their existing automotive technology programs
  • More than 31% advised they plan to update or add new technology topics to their existing automotive technology programs
  • More than 26% noted they plan to add a new activity or course to their existing automotive technology programs
Visit the CAAT's Webinars page to download the webinar slides and view the webinar.
CAAT Leadership Attends CAR Management Briefing Seminars

The 2016 Center for Automotive Research (CAR) Management Briefing Seminars were held August 1-4, 2016 in Traverse City, MI. The event brought together more than a thousand participants to connect and focus on the issues impacting the automotive industry and the pathways to success. Attendees included executive management from automakers and suppliers, and representatives from the financial community, academia, labor, government, business, and automotive press. CAAT Principal Investigator, Joe Petrosky, and CAAT Director, Bob Feldmaier, attended the event, along with Macomb students; Lawrence Stallworth, Business Administration, and Ryan Stachurski, Automotive Technology.

The seminars provided thought-provoking information and provided a vision of where the global automotive industry is headed. Distinguished speakers included Governor Rick Snyder, senior level executives from 10 automotive manufacturers and many automotive suppliers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality, the National Automobile Dealers Association, the Michigan Department of Talent and Economic Development, the Michigan Department of Transportation, and the Michigan National Guard.

This year's sessions focused on these important topics, many of which are related to the work of the CAAT:
  • World Class Manufacturing
  • Manufactured Materials of the Future
  • Connected and Automated Vehicles
  • Advanced Powertrain
  • Sales Forecasting
  • Policy/Midterm Review
  • Organizational Culture
  • Automotive Strategy
  • Cybersecurity
  • Car of Tomorrow
  • Purchasing
  • Industry Structure

 
Visit the CAAT Resource Library to view or download the presentations.
CAAT Attends High Efficiency Truck Users Forum

CAAT Assistant Director, Nelson Kelly, attended the 2016 High Efficiency Truck Users Forum (HTUF) National Meeting and Tech Exchange held at Hyatt Place in Novi, MI on August 1, 2016. The 2016 HTUF meeting focused on issues and technologies that support both commercial and military vehicle capabilities. The meeting was especially timely as the EPA and the NHTSA recently released Phase 2 rules for greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy for medium and heavy duty trucks. Heavy duty trucks are the fastest-growing contributors to greenhouse gas emissions within the transportation sector.

This year's HTUF meeting was co-located with NextEnergy's  Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering & Technology Symposium (GVSETS). The meeting began with a welcome and preview of the day's events by Steven Sokolsky of CALSTART. Jeff Jaczkowski of U.S. Army- TARDEC outlined TARDEC's priorities and opportunities for industry to engage in working towards TARDEC's goals. Tom Brotherton of CALSTART then presented the findings of the HTUF vehicle electrification study. A panel discussion followed on how the military and commercial truck industry can advance the development of electrified components and systems. Two "Tech Talks" on systems to improve the efficiency of heavy-duty engines preceded lunch.

Over the lunch period, Bill Van Amburg of CALSTART informed the audience about the transportation electrification initiatives; including how light-duty vehicles, trucks, and buses in California are reducing pollutant emissons, greenhouse gas emissions, and petroleum usage. He pointed out that the United States, where meeting vehicle emission and mile-per-gallon standards is mandatory, is overtaking Europe (where the standards are voluntary) in developing clean, efficient transportation systems. One key ingredient to reducing truck emissions is to utilize start/stop technology for trucks that spend large amounts of time idling.

The afternoon session included: 1) a panel discussion on worksite electrification and powering the grid, 2) connected/automated vehicle effects on trucking, 3) commercial vehicle cyber security issues, 4) two more "Tech Talks", and 5) four sets of working groups where roughly half of the attendees discussed the major issues from the meeting in a round-table discussion.

There were displays of both hybrid (XL Hybrids XLE Electric Solution) and zero-emission (MotivPS) powertrains outside the building for inspection. The meeting ended with a networking reception hosted by Southern Company where the HTUF stakeholders (military planners, OEMs, suppliers, and fleets) could get to know each other.

For more information on the meeting, including copies of the presentations, visit: www.htuf.org.
CAAT Director Conducts Seminar on Autonomous Vehicles at High Impact Technology Exchange Conference (HI-TEC)

The HI-TEC event was held at the Wyndham Grand Hotel in Pittsburgh, PA, July 25-28, 2016.  It was attended by 545 people, including CAAT Director, Bob Feldmaier, and Assistant Director, Nelson Kelly. Bob Feldmaier delivered a presentation on The Road to Autonomous Vehicles that was attended by approximately 50 people.

HI-TEC is a national conference on advanced technological education where secondary and post-secondary educators, counselors, industry professionals, trade organizations, and technicians can update their knowledge and skills.  Charged with Educating America's Technical Workforce, the event focused on the preparation needed by the existing and future workforce for companies in the high-tech sectors that drive our nation's economy.

The conference explored the convergence of scientific disciplines and technologies, including:
  • Advanced Manufacturing Technologies
  • Agricultural, Energy, and Environmental Technologies
  • Biotechnology and Chemical Processes
  • Electronics
  • Engineering Technologies
  • Information Communications, Geo-spatial, and Security Technologies
  • Learning, Evaluation, and Research
  • Micro- and Nano-Technologies
Attendees had the option to choose from approximately 15 pre-conference workshops and 4 industry site tours during the first two days, followed by the two-day main conference featuring keynote speakers and 60+ breakout sessions. There was also an awards luncheon and exhibit hall with an exhibitor reception, door prizes, and more.
CAAT Co-Principal Investigator Presents Papers at the 2016 American Society for Engineering Education Conference

The ASEE's 123 rd Annual Conference & Exposition, that was held in New Orleans in late June, is the only conference dedicated to all disciplines of engineering education. It strives to foster the exchange of ideas, enhance teaching methods and curriculum, and provide prime networking opportunities for engineering and technology education stakeholders such as deans and faculty members, as well as representatives from industry and government. The conference boasted attendance from over 4,000 leaders from approximately 500 colleges and universities.

The conference featured more than 400 technical sessions, with peer-reviewed papers spanning all disciplines of engineering education. Gene Liao, CAAT Co-Principal Investigator (and Wayne State University's Director of the Electric-drive Vehicle Engineering Program and professor in the Engineering Technology Division), presented two papers on behalf of Wayne State University and the CAAT. The first paper focused on the  Automatic Parking Vehicle System, which was presented at the Capstone and Design Projects session and co-authored by C.P. Yeh, CAAT Co-Principal Investigator and Wayne State University's Director and Chair of the Division of Engineering Technology, who also attended the event. The second paper was on a Learning Tool for Lithium-Ion Battery Management System, which was presented at the Division Experimentation and Lab-Oriented Studies: BYOE Session. Approximately 30 people attended each of these sessions.

Monday and Tuesday offered plenary sessions with distinguished lectures by Lisa Jackson and Joseph Bradley, award receptions and banquets, the "Greet the Stars" orientation for first-time attendees, a reception especially for new ASEE members, and the ASEE division mixer.  This conference was packed with opportunities!  And that doesn't even count the exciting things that took place in the Exhibit Hall, home to the "Focus on Exhibits" welcome reception, brunch, a summertime social, and lunch.
Resource Library What's New in the CAAT Resource Library?

Resources recently added to the FREE CAAT Resource Library.

2015 North American Light Vehicle Aluminum Content Study:
Aluminum use in cars and trucks has steadily increased for more than 40 years. In fact, usage of Aluminum is projected to reach average content levels of 500 pounds per vehicle by 2025 (up from approximately 390 pounds in 2015).
2016 CAR Management Briefing Seminars:
This resource contains presentations from the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) 2016 Management Briefing Seminars held August 1-4, 2016. With attendees from industry, government, the financial community, media, and academia, the event featured outstanding presentations from industry thought leaders as well as various networking and social events. Using CAR research as a foundation, these seminars revolved around the most important issues facing the automotive industry today.
Automatic Parking Vehicle System:
This paper discusses "Automatic Parking Vehicle Systems", a research and concept-proving project that will be prepared and extended to develop teaching materials for courses and student projects on the subjects of vehicle automation, autonomy, and connectivity.
BYOE - Learning Tool for Lithium-Ion Battery Management System (BMS):
This paper presents the development of an interactive and computer-controlled unit that serves as a learning tool for the BMS. The developed learning tool emulates the battery terminal voltage for up to 12 serially connected cells. By manually changing the cell voltage on the fly, the overcharge, over-discharge, and balancing condition of each cell can be emulated for the student doing the laboratory experiments.
Electric Machines:
This free online course from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is about electromechanics and uses electric machinery as examples. It teaches, at the level of MIT graduate students, an understanding of principles and analysis of electromechanical systems. At the end of the course, students will have the capability of doing electromechanical design of the major classes of rotating and linear electric machines, and will have an understanding of the principles of the energy conversion parts of mechatronics.
Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles - The Other Electric Vehicle:
This webinar, presented by the Center fro Advanced Automotive Technology, describes how proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells use hydrogen gas to generate electricity, compares PEM fuel cells to batteries and internal combustion engines, and highlights recent exciting developments in FCEVs for sale in the United States.
Fuel Cells - Powering Our Economic Future:
General Motors and Junior Achievement bring schools four stand-alone lesson plans that focus on the business and economics of fuel cell technology. Designed to supplement the social studies curriculum, these educational resources allow your students to apply economics concepts and principles to an important real-world issue: the development of an alternative energy source.
Mixed Material Solutions - Alternative Materials for Door Assemblies:
This report was developed by the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) in conjunction with the Coalition for Automotive Lightweight Materials (CALM). The objective of this collaborative project was to convene suppliers from the CALM working group representing the lightweighting value chain to demonstrate and accelerate the introduction of new lightweighting technologies available for next generation vehicles. The collaborative work represented in this report aims to identify mixed material solutions to reduce weight in future vehicle assemblies by providing technical solutions with results exceeding an established baseline solution, and by linking enabling process technologies with multi-material solutions.
Quantifying Drivers' Responses to Failures of Semi-Autonomous Vehicle Systems:
The objectives of this dissertation were to assess how drivers respond to the failures of the lane keeping (LK) system with different levels of vehicle automation and to assess the effects of drivers' engagements in non-driving tasks on their behaviors associated with a failure of the LK system. This dissertation also investigates if a lane departure warning would mitigate the negative effects of the out-of-the-loop problem brought on by automation and improve drivers' responses to the LK system failures, especially when drivers are engaging both the active cruise control and LK systems. Additionally, the relationships between drivers' personalities and attitudes toward automation and their responses during the failure of the LK system were evaluated.
The Impact of New Mobility Services on the Automotive Industry:
This report was developed by Center for Automotive Research (CAR) researchers to: identify and describe new mobility services, describe how new mobility services are changing travel behaviors, and present an analysis of how those changes will affect the automotive industry.
The Road to Autonomous Vehicles Presentation - HI-TEC 2016:
A presentation by Bob Feldmaier, Director of the Center for Advanced Automotive Technology, at the 2016 High Impact Technology Exchange Conference (HI-TEC) discussing the following three questions: Why the interest in autonomous vehicles? How does the technology work? What are the remaining challenges?
Did You Know_ Did you know... that a previous seed funding partner has built a Vehicle Robotics and Engineering Laboratory (VREL) that is conducting research and training engineers and technicians in the areas of unmanned vehicles, vehicle driveline systems, and robotics? It's true. The VREL was created by Dr. Vladimir V. Vantsevich of the University of Alabama, Birmingham, where he is a professor and Director of the VREL. Check out the VREL webpage, flyer, and the seed funding materials created for the CAAT by Dr. Vantsevich.
Did you know... California bought more electric cars than the rest of U.S. combined in June? According to Green Car Reports, of the 13,772 cars with plugs sold last month, 7,161 went to buyers in California. California Bought More Electric Cars than the Rest of US Did you know... That Ford's autonomous software is becoming so advanced, it can now sense the difference between different things in the environment surrounding the moving car, such as potholes, obstacles in the road, and even different types of precipitation? How Ford's New Driverless Car Algorithm Can See Raindrops and Snowflakes
Did you know... that Japan has more electric car charging stations than gas stations? According to ZME Science, Japan has over 40,000 dedicated charging stations for electric vehicles and only 34,000 gas stations. Did you know... there are 5 key technical challenges associated with automated driving? They include sensor technology, cluster connectivity, human-machine dialogue, system architecture and reliability. AD - the Technical Challenges
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