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A UWindsor researcher was appointed Canada Research Chair in Advanced Hybrid Drivetrain Systems for his work on hybrid vehicle technology.
Dr. Narayan Kar, an associate professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, will receive $100,000 a year in research funding for five years, said the Honourable Gary Goodyear, federal Minister of State for Science and Technology, in a national announcement.
Dr. Kar says the transportation sector is one of the largest contributors to environmental pollution in Canada. Hybrid electric vehicles, which combine a traditional internal combustion engine with an electric motor and a battery-power source, considerably reduce emissions and dependency on fossil fuel, he says.
The problem with hybrid vehicles, Kar says, is that electric motor range is limited and the vehicle still relies predominantly on combustion. His team’s research will focus on increasing the capability, energy efficiency and performance of the electric motor while designing a system to offer drivers the option of relying more heavily on the electric portion of the engine.
“We’re trying to develop an energy management system to improve the operating efficiency of the vehicle,” says Kar. “We want to encourage the use of as much electrical energy as possible.”
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