September/October 2021
CAAT TRACKS
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CAAT Participates in Roundtable Discussion on Electrifying the Automotive Classroom |
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On August 19, 2021, CAAT Director Ben Cruz and Assistant Director Nelson Kelly participated on the panel of experts discussing electrifying the automotive classroom. The webinar was presented by the North American Council of Automotive Teachers (NACAT) and was hosted by NACAT President Curt Ward of Joliet Junior College in Joliet, IL. Other panel members included Ken Mays of Central Oregon Community College in Bend, OR, and Justin Morgan of Sinclair Community College in Dayton, OH.
The panel shared their experience in delivering education on electric vehicles and explained how they got from concept to completion, while overcoming challenges along the way. Bill Haas, NACAT Business Manager, monitored and screened questions from the audience.
The topics discussed included:
- needed modifications to existing automotive technology degree programs to address electrified vehicles,
- recruiting students into automotive programs and enhancing their success rate,
- adding material on electronics to address the alternating current systems in electrified vehicles,
- addressing the recent SAE electric vehicle certification for automotive technicians,
- adding electric vehicle and other specialized pathways to two-year automotive technology degree programs tuned for specific geographic areas of the US for the coming connected and electrified vehicles, and
- advice on how to get started.
Questions from the audience spurred a lively discussion. CAAT provided information on our free seed funded curriculum resources posted on the CAAT web site as well as the Macomb Community College Vehicle Engineering Technician degree program. Each participant shared their experiences regarding needed curricula changes to address the move from internal combustion systems and mechanical controls to electrified vehicles with electronic and software controls.
The webinar led to one participant approaching CAAT for help with an NSF proposal to fund the development of electric vehicle curricula in their state.
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CAAT Joins Teleoperation Consortium |
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CAAT became the fourth academic institution to join the Teleoperation Consortium (TC), a non-profit business league established to enable the collaboration of companies, organizations, and governmental bodies interested in bidirectional vehicle communications. CAAT has used seed funding to develop courses in connected/automated vehicles and cybersecurity. Being a member of the TC will help CAAT engage with experts in the connected intelligent transportation space. CAAT and Macomb Community College thanks Scott McCormick, President of the Teleoperation Consortium and President and CEO of the Connected Vehicle Trade Association, for kindly inviting us to join the TC as an academic member.
The TC offers a Teleoperation Professional (TP) Credentialing Program which is a comprehensive education and certification curriculum collaboratively launched between the Teleoperation Consortium and The Next Education. It helps professionals build a valuable skill set and increases professional credibility in the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Community.
TC membership is open to any corporation, public entity, standards and specifications organizations and academic institutions. Visit the Teleoperation Consortium website to learn more about the organization’s purpose, structure and advantages of membership.
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GM Builds New Battery Cell Innovation Center |
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General Motors is building a new, 300,000 square foot battery innovation facility at their Global Technical Center in Warren, MI, to accelerate the development of long-range, affordable electric vehicles (EVs) and support their vision of an all-electric, zero emissions future.
The Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center will employ hundreds of engineers and include cell formation chambers, cell test chambers, an electrolyte production lab, a coating room, material analysis equipment, and a data farm.
The Wallace Center will advance technologies such as lithium-metal, silicon, and solid-state batteries, and improve production methods. GM hopes to develop EV battery cells that can deliver a 500 to 600-mile range and reduce battery cost by 60%.
The new facility, which is expected to be completed by mid-2022, is named after Bill Wallace, GM’s former director of Battery Systems and Electrification, who led the team that developed the advanced battery systems found in the Chevrolet Volt 1 and 2, Malibu Hybrid and Bolt EV.
GM plans to introduce 30 new EVs by 2025. The first of these will be the GMC Hummer EV pickup which will be built at Factory ZERO in Hamtramck, MI. See article below: Did you know GM’s Detroit Factory ZERO will open later this year?
Click the links below to learn more.
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Ford Aims to Lead America’s Shift to Electric Vehicles |
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New Mega Electric Vehicle Campus in Tennessee |
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An all-new $5.6 billion mega-campus in Stanton, TN, called Blue Oval City, will create approximately 6,000 new jobs and reimagine how vehicles and batteries are manufactured.
Blue Oval City will become a vertically integrated ecosystem for Ford to assemble an expanded lineup of electric F-Series vehicles and will include a Blue Oval SK Innovation battery plant, key suppliers and recycling. Ford’s new Tennessee assembly plant is designed to be carbon neutral with zero waste to landfill once fully operational.
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New Twin Battery Plants in Kentucky |
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Ford plans to build a dedicated battery manufacturing complex with SK Innovation in central Kentucky. The $5.8 billion Blue Oval SK Battery Park will creating 5,000 jobs. Twin battery plants on the site are intended to supply Ford’s North American assembly plants with locally assembled batteries for powering next-generation electric Ford and Lincoln vehicles.
“This is a transformative moment where Ford will lead America’s transition to electric vehicles and usher in a new era of clean, carbon-neutral manufacturing,” said Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford. “With this investment and a spirit of innovation, we can achieve goals once thought mutually exclusive – protect our planet, build great electric vehicles Americans will love and contribute to our nation’s prosperity.”
Click the links below to learn more.
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Inductive Vehicle Charging Pilot |
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Michigan was the first state in the nation with a mile of paved road, now it is aiming to be the first with a mile of inductive charging road for electric vehicles.
Inductive charging allows electric vehicles to charge while driving, eliminating the need for lengthy stops to recharge the vehicles. The Inductive Vehicle Charging Pilot aims to accelerate electric vehicle adoption by eliminating range anxiety and allowing for continuous operation of taxis, buses, and other fleet vehicles.
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Advances in Electric Vehicles and Battery Technology are Driving New Engineering Careers |
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The automotive industry is shifting from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs) and so will the industry’s workforce. EV manufacturers, battery makers and their suppliers are all in need of a workforce trained in electric vehicles (EVs) and battery technology. Engineering and engineering technology students will have numerous career options upon graduation. The same is true for incumbent workers as great new jobs are becoming increasingly available in these emerging technologies.
Companies looking for workers in these fields include traditional automotive manufacturers, start-up EV companies, infrastructure and charging companies, energy storage specialists, battery companies, and more. In fact, Ford Motor Company recently announced its largest-ever single manufacturing investment to build an EV mega campus and two battery factories in Tennessee and Kentucky, respectively. And General Motors is in the process of retooling and upgrading one of its manufacturing plants in Detroit to build electric trucks and SUVs and is also building a new battery cell innovation center at its global technical center in Michigan.
Battery Technology recently put together a list of ten companies that are currently hiring for positions that will appeal to engineers, engineering technicians and technologists. The companies include Tesla, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Stellantis, Rivian and more. Many of these companies also offer internships for students interested in electric vehicles.
If you or someone you know is interested in an engineering career, be sure to check out Macomb Community College’s Vehicle Engineering Technician associate of applied science degree program. And don’t miss these helpful job hunting tips for those interested in EV and battery technology careers.
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Free In-Classroom STEM Labs for Middle School Classrooms - Sign Up Today! |
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Over the past six school years, the CAAT's free and highly successful in-classroom STEM labs have reached more than 16,000 middle school students in Michigan!
The CAAT’s in-classroom labs will transform the typical classroom by encouraging a curriculum that is driven by problem solving, exploratory learning and planning, building using hands-on skills, testing, and observing and evaluating.
The labs begin with a short presentation on why STEM is important, how it will impact students' in the future, a description of the STEM lab, and instructions for completing the lab. A worksheet containing all the technical details is provided for the students to fill out during the lab, which requires the students to use higher-order thinking skills.
After completion of the hands-on project, a new STEM reflection sheet is handed out. The questions on the reflection sheet require students to think about the best feature of their design and consider why it is the best feature, as well as determine the most challenging problem they had to solve and how they could improve upon their design.
Teachers can choose from among the following labs to best meet their classroom curriculum goals:
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- Career Class
- Lift it with a Lever
- Mini Marshmallow Shooters
- Art Wiggle Bot
- Hovercraft
- Safety Helmet
- Newton’s Car
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- Balloon Powered Racing Car
- Lunar Buggy
- Catapult
- Rubber Band Racers
- Space Shuttle Launch
- Wind Powered Car
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All students will benefit from the CAAT's in-classroom STEM labs because the labs teach independent and team innovation, as well as allow students to explore engineering by utilizing the skills needed to become leaders.
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CAAT Participates in Community Event with Drones and Mini Robot Cars
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Macomb Community College hosted The Great Pumpkin Fest at its South Campus Expo Center in Warren, MI on October 16. More than 2,000 people attended the very successful community event.
The free family event offered cider and donuts, food trucks, music and line dancing by the Macombers show choir, a fall market offering pumpkins, corn stalks, hay bales and mums, and raffles which benefitted the Macomb Student Immediate Relief Fund which offers financial and other support to Macomb students struggling to continue their education due to financial hardship. The event raised more than $30,000 for this important student resource! A City of Warren Fire Truck and a K-9 unit from the Sherriff’s office were also on hand to support the event.
The fun and educational STEM activities for kids of all ages included performances and discovery stations by Mad Science of Detroit, a science enrichment organization offering unique, hands-on science experiences for children through after-school programs, special events, and summer camps. The Mad Science Fire and Ice show included foggy dry ice storms, shivering scissors, bubbly showers, giant beach balls floating in midair and tasting a “burp” potion.
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At the Drone Zone station, kids of all ages learned about unmanned aircraft systems and got to fly a drone through an obstacle course.
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At the Mini Robot Cars station, kids got to steer a mini robot car through a course that demonstrated how self-driving cars can avoid obstacles and follow lane markers.
The Mad Science Discovery stations included:
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A Slippery Science station where kids got to make their own slime to take home while learning about the properties of polymers.
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An Electricity station where kids got to build and test electrical circuits, and got to make their hair stand up on end.
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A Bubbling Potions station where kids got to take a shower with dry ice and explore the states of matter.
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A Money-Saving station where kids learned about saving money and could open a first bank account.
The Great Pumpkin Fest was presented by First State Bank and participation by Mad Science of Detroit was underwritten by a grant from the Foren Family Foundation.
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The 2021 AutoTECHCAST Study analyzes consumer insights on 40 advanced automotive technologies and features, including an in-depth section on autonomous and connected vehicle features. |
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The assets and resources of Michigan’s automotive environment are illuminated in this report, with key statistics and trends on electric vehicles, battery production, chargers and the supporting workforce. |
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This report defines the various types of electric vehicles and provides consumers with details on their convenience, cost, charging, and operation. |
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This report, describes how to test Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries so that they are safe, reliable, compliant with all standards and regulations, and suitable for demanding new technical applications such as hybrids and Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV)s. |
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This white paper explores how generative design answers the challenges of electrical systems design and provides synchronization of data between electrical, mechanical, and software domains. |
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This infographic describes new charging technologies that are being introduced for electric vehicles along with details on their functionality and use. |
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This report provides an understanding of where the electric vehicle (EV) market is currently, the challenges faced by vehicle manufacturers, and the consumer concerns that need to be addressed for EVs to achieve widespread use. |
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The Solar Futures Study explores the benefits of utilizing solar energy to transition to carbon-free energy, including generating power for electric vehicles. |
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A leading global social intelligence company analyzed data from millions of social media posts to understand the differences between technology centric buyers and environmentally conscious consumers when making the choice to purchase an electric vehicle. Analysis also includes the potential long-term effects from the COVID-19 pandemic that could accelerate the adaptation of electric vehicles. |
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GM plans to develop EV batteries that can deliver 500 to 600 miles of range on a single charge and reduce the production costs by 60%.
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The Michigan State Police will test Ford’s Mustang Mach-E and see how it handles the demands of a police cruiser.
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General Motors will build a mid-size electric delivery van for Verizon.
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... Michigan joined 4 other states to create the Regional Electric Vehicle Midwest Coalition? "Today's REV Midwest partnership is a bipartisan effort to build the future of mobility and electrification and connect our communities," Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said. The coalition, which also includes Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin, was created shortly after Ford announced plans to make a largest-ever single investment to build electric vehicle manufacturing campuses in Kentucky and Tennessee. Among other things, the coalition plans to develop an electric vehicle charging network across the region.
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... GM’s Detroit Factory ZERO will open later this year? GM is spending $2.2 billion, GM’s largest-ever single investment in a plant, to retool, upgrade and expand the old Detroit Hamtramck Assembly Plant into a plant that will build electric trucks and SUV’s and will employ more than 2,200 people. The City of Detroit and the Michigan Department of Transportation are kicking in $11.7M to fix the roads around the plant and enhance the area’s industrial corridor. In fact, Detroit recently received $4M from the US Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration to support this initiative.
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... Zoox, now an Amazon-owned startup, plans to offer driverless all-electric robotaxis in urban areas? The company, which focuses on riders, not drivers, was founded in 2014 and acquired by Amazon in 2020 for $1.2B. Zoox has been testing its automated vehicles on public roads since 2016 and recently tested it’s software on the busy streets of Las Vegas. Watch the video to see how Zoox’s driverless software navigates heavy Las Vegas traffic, identifies obstacles and plots the car's path. Notice that the vehicle does not have a front or back. Zoox has not yet revealed when it will launch its ride-hailing service.
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