July/August 2021
CAAT TRACKS
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CAAT Director Attends CAR Management Briefing Seminars |
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The 2021 Center for Automotive Research (CAR) Management Briefing Seminars (MBS) were held August 4-5 at Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City, Michigan, and remotely through Livestream. Attending the MBS were nearly 800 participants (about two-thirds attended in person) from approximately 400 companies as well as a significant media presence. Ben Cruz, CAAT Director, represented the Center for Advanced Automotive Technology and Macomb Community College at MBS with remote participation through Livestream.
50 speakers represented automakers, suppliers, service providers, academia, media, government, and workforce and mobility stakeholders. Keynote speakers for the 2021 MBS were: Jan Griffiths, President and Founder, Gravitas Detroit, Swamy Kotagiri, Chief Executive Officer, Magna International Inc., and Gretchen Whitmer, Governor, State of Michigan.
Among the array of relevant topics covered at the event were:
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Highlights from CAR MBS Media Coverage:
Household outlets enough for charging EVs; million-mile batteries are on the horizon: Electric vehicle (EV) buyers are concerned with the efficiency of battery charging on a common household outlet and finding a battery charger when away from home. Tim Grewe, Director-Global Battery Cell & Electrification Strategy for GM told the CAR MBS audience that the Level 1, 110V outlet is more than enough charging power for a daily commute of 40-50 miles. Consumers are also concerned they may have to replace the vehicle’s battery pack during the life of their Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV). BEV manufacturers advise most batteries are seeing long life and they expect that BEVs will soon be capable of driving a million miles on the original battery pack.
Honda takes step toward level 3 autonomous driving: Honda is promoting its Honda SENSING Elite system as the world’s first road ready, Level 3, self-driving vehicle technology. The system provides traffic jam pilot, hands-free lane changing technology and emergency stop assistance when weather and traffic conditions allow.
Survey shows consumers are cautious in their acceptance of AVs: A survey by Klas Research shows that 20% of respondents would be willing to pay an additional $10,000 to obtain an autonomous vehicle (AV). However, while the convenience factor of AVs is appealing to consumers, they expressed concerns about AVs causing collisions from unexpected obstacles in the road and AV systems malfunctioning in traffic.
Vehicle production and sales expected to fall in second half of 2021: Cars are in high demand by consumers, but the semiconductor shortage is expected to create a significant slowdown in automotive production and sales. The negative impact to the global supply chain caused by COVID-19 is expected to cause production cuts in North America by about 452,000 units.
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In case you missed it…
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It's not too late to register for access to the on-demand recordings of all sessions from CAR MBS 2021.
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View and download the 2021 CAR MBS presentations.
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Listen to the podcast with CAR leadership as they recap the discussions and topics covered at the CAR Management Briefing Seminars, as well as the recent announcement by the Biden administration regarding the 50% sales target for electric vehicles.
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There were a lot of electric vehicles at the live CAR MBS event. There were so many in fact, that the electric vehicle chargers in the parking lot of the conference hotel were in very high demand and had conference attendees waiting in line for an available charger! |
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CAAT Participates in HI-TEC 2021 Virtual Conference |
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As noted in our last issue, the 2021 High Impact Technology Exchange Conference (HI-TEC) was held virtually July 21-22. HI-TEC is a national conference supported by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, which is charged with preparing America’s skilled technical workforce. The event focuses on the preparation needed by the existing and future workforce for companies in high-tech sectors that drive our nation’s economy. The event featured live keynotes, sessions, and panels as well as 50+ “on demand” pre-recorded sessions.
This year, CAAT Assistant Director, Nelson Kelly contributed an on-demand session titled, “Development of a Course on Automotive Cybersecurity”. The CAAT presentation describes the seed funding process that has been used by the CAAT to create 17 complete courses and 13 modules over the last 10 years that are free to download from the CAAT’S Seed Funded Programs page and in the CAAT’s free resource library which includes hundreds of additional resources. Check them out today!
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CAAT offers Free Dream with Robots Programming Camp |
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The CAAT held a Dream with Robots Programming Camp for 7th and 8th grade students at Macomb Community College’s south campus in Warren, MI on August 16 & 17. Twenty-eight students attended the free educational event that required no experience.
The camp was structured to encourage participants to explore the engineering design process by creating their own working robot using the UB Tech - Dream with Robots Advanced Kit that includes over 1000 pieces, 16 servos and a real Arduino – compatible microcontroller. Students were introduced to the fundamentals of electrical circuitry and engineering design and were assembled in groups of 4 to encourage them to work as a team to design a project and solve engineering challenges. At the end of the camp, students presented their project as a team to demonstrate what they built and what they programmed the robot to do.
Students were asked to share their thoughts about the camp in a survey provided at the end of the two-day event. When asked about working in teams, students indicated it was “better than alone,” “more experience facing problems together,” and “It was fun sharing ideas.” When asked if the camp was what they expected, more than half said it was better than expected. When asked if they were interested in pursuing a career in engineering, two-thirds said they were at least moderately interested. Two-thirds also expressed interest in pursuing a career in a STEM field.
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CAAT Offers Free mBot Programming Camps for Middle School Students |
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The CAAT recently held two free mBot programming camps for 13 middle school students at Hope Academy in Detroit, MI, on July 27 and 14 students at the Vista Maria residential facility in Dearborn Heights, MI, on August 13. Participating students were provided an opportunity to explore the world of microcontrollers by assembling and programming their own FREE mBot robot. After assembling the mBot, students were provided instruction on how to program the robot. The students were very engaged in the learning activity and most were successful in building and operating their new robots! The students were able to keep the robots so they could continue learning from it.
Students of the camp were asked to complete a survey at the end of the camp. When asked if the camp was what they expected, three-quarters of the Hope Academy students and half of the Vista Maria students indicated it was better than they expected. When asked if they were interested in pursuing a career in STEM, two-thirds of the Hope Academy students and nearly three-quarters of the Vista Maria students indicated they were moderately, very or extremely interested.
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CAAT Participates in Virtual STEM Day Event with the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program |
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The Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP), a CAAT partner, held STEM Days camps with middle school students on June 29. Participating schools were Harrison Park and Westwood Middle Schools in Grand Rapids, Linden Charter Academy in Flint and Tomlinson Middle School in Romulus. 120 students participated in the virtual event.
The CAAT was asked to provide a workshop on catapults that was taught by CAAT STEM Outreach Coordinator, Saleta McMurray. Two other workshops were offered on Building an Anemometer and the Language of Engineering.
DAPCEP strives to connect Detroit area youth (pre-K through 12th grade) with exciting educational opportunities in STEM by partnering with local colleges and universities, corporations, foundations, faith-based organizations, community organizations, and public entities. The CAAT is pleased to be a DAPCEP partner serving Detroit area students.
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CyberAuto Challenge Held at Macomb Community College |
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SAE’s CyberAuto Challenge was held at Macomb Community College in Warren, MI the week of July 19. Michigan’s Lt. Governor, Garlin Gilchrist II, attended the event along with the Michigan State Police and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to showcase Michigan’s leadership in cybersecurity and workforce training. Common goals of these organizations include increasing the cybersecurity talent pipeline in Michigan as well as positioning the state as a leader in the field.
The 9th annual CyberAuto Challenge offered five days of hands-on workshops that bring together students and professionals, including automotive engineers and white-hat hackers, to explore the challenges of cybersecurity in automobiles. Participating students attended from the University of Michigan Dearborn, Northern Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, Michigan Tech, Walsh College, Ohio State University, Colorado State University and the University of Colorado.
The MEDC has been engaged in the Cyber Auto Challenge for the past few years but took a leadership role this year in running the event and ensuring the Challenge will continue to be held at Macomb Community College. This clearly reflects the MEDC’s focus on growth through public-private partnerships.
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Ford to Invest $100M in Battery Research Facility in Michigan |
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Ford has proposed to invest approximately $100 million to create a state-of-the-art battery research facility at an existing facility in Romulus. This investment would include the purchase and renovation of the existing building on the site to support product development and manufacturing process research related to vehicle battery applications. Approximately 200 full time engineers are expected to be located at the facility on or within 18 months of completion of renovation.
The new collaborative learning lab will use state-of-the-art technology to pilot new manufacturing techniques that will allow Ford to research and quickly scale breakthrough battery cell designs with novel materials as part of its plan to vertically integrate battery cells and batteries.
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Detroit Smart Parking Lab is a Real World Test Site for Emerging Parking Technology |
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The Detroit Smart Parking Lab (DSPL), a real-world test site for emerging parking technology, is a new project involving the State of Michigan, Ford, Bedrock, and Bosch.
Scheduled to open in September, the lab will allow innovators to test parking-related mobility, logistics, and electric vehicle charging technologies.
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Macomb Joins Consortium Dedicated to Strengthening Vehicle Cybersecurity |
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The institute’s goal is to increase the cybersecurity engineering workforce through development of an applied cybersecurity curriculum in partnership with industry. The institute will also provide retraining opportunities to underrepresented populations, active military and military veterans.
Other members of the institute’s consortium are Washtenaw and Oakland community colleges, with the University of Arizona providing research support. Curriculum developed by the institute will include associate, bachelor, master and doctoral programs, as well as immersion camps for high school students.
“We envision that the Metro-Detroit Vehicle Cybersecurity Institute will lead in the education of our current and future company employees,” said Kevin Tierney, vice president of Global Cybersecurity at General Motors, “expanding the competency of our workforce to secure and protect physical cyber systems, including those in electric and autonomous vehicles.”
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Over 40 companies developing self-driving vehicles are identified in this report. They include established automotive manufacturers, technology brands, and telecommunications companies. |
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A report that reviews the opportunities and challenges faced by the transportation sector for combining technology breakthroughs with commitments to zero vehicle emissions. |
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The advanced energy sector is explored with the Advanced Transportation sector reporting the largest revenue increase and the fastest growth in 2020. Leading this growth was revenue from Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs). |
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The Automotive Technician career is explored with key facts, educational requirements, and career outlook. |
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This presentation describes the CAAT's experience in creating an Automotive Cybersecurity course that is included in Macomb Community College's Vehicle Engineering Technician (VET) Associate Degree program. It was delivered at the HI-TEC 2021 virtual conference by Nelson Kelly, Assistant Director, CAAT. |
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This report provides the top trends, design challenges, and industrial technology solutions accelerating the transition to hybrid and electric mobility in Industrial and Commercial Transportation (ICT). |
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Michigan’s advanced energy sector is reported on by type of jobs, growth potential and location by county for the year 2020. Hybrid, electric and fuel cell vehicles are highlighted for Advanced Vehicles jobs. |
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The report covers the benefits, goals, challenges, and success factors associated with smart cities and communities (SC&C). Connected, automated, and electric vehicles, and intelligent, sensor-based infrastructure are examples of SC&C technologies. |
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In this lesson plan, students will learn about solar energy, physical forces, and then build solar-powered cars suitable for Junior Solar Sprint competitions. |
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This presentation describes the Vehicle Engineering Technician (VET) Associate degree at Macomb Community College. It is designed to provide students with the opportunity to develop the skills, knowledge and abilities required for entry-level positions in the automotive industry. Students successfully completing the VET program will have the technical skills required to assist engineers in the development of electro-mechanical systems for the next generation of safe, efficient, intelligent vehicles. |
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CAAT Director Ben Cruz speaks with Torque Factor about Macomb Community College’s new Vehicle Engineering Technician degree.
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The Center for Automotive Research discusses electric vehicle market growth, supply and demand.
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Amazon will be using blue electric delivery vehicles that were designed in partnership with Rivian, an EV manufacturer in Plymouth, Michigan.
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Three engineering students from Michigan set goal to be the first to travel across the country in a one-of-a-kind solar power car they designed and built.
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... Stellantis plans to spend $35.5B on plug-in models through 2025? The company, formed through the merger of FCA and France’s PSA Group this year, plans to offer electrified vehicles under all 14 brands, including an electric Ram Truck and a Dodge muscle car, both expected in 2024. It also plans to establish 5 battery factories in the US and Europe with hopes of reducing battery costs.
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... The White House is targeting 50% EV sales by 2030 and the goal is supported by OEMs? Carmakers Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis were on hand to lend support to the announcement. BMW, Honda, Volkswagen, and Volvo also announced their backing of the non-binding goal.
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... A multimillion-dollar grant was awarded to Western Michigan University to help accelerate research into energy-efficient autonomous cars? Researchers in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences received a three-year, $2.5-million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop infrastructure-based technology to improve the energy efficiency in autonomous vehicles.
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... The first all-electric tugboat in the United States is heading to San Diego? The all-electric tug could eliminate the carbon dioxide pollution equivalent of more than 100 cars every year and at a lower cost than a conventional tug.
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