New lab at UW to research clean, smart vehicles

A car is tested at the GAIA Research facility at the University of Waterloo (CTV Kitchener)

A new research facility opened Wednesday at the University of Waterloo to look into making cleaner smart vehicles.

"We're developing computers that will control the flow of power in your vehicle, especially hybrid vehicles, so you can go farther on a single tank of gas," says John McPhee, who is heading the Green and Intelligent Automotive Research Facility.

The facility is a partnership between the university, Toyota, and the federal and provincial governments.

“With this equipment they can simulate actual road conditions and test the whole vehicle,” says Jamie Clark, the general manager of quality control at Toyota Canada.

150 graduate students will use the facility to work on improving electric and hybrid vehicles, with a particular emphasis on improving battery life in self-driving cars.

With reporting by Max Wark