$4-million research lab opens at the University of Waterloo

It was a grand well-to-do at the University of Waterloo.

A project that the school has been gunning for the last decade finally came to fruition Tuesday, with the grand opening of their Autonomous Vehicle Research and Intelligence Lab, or AVRIL.

This will be the new hub for autonomous vehicle research at the university, according to Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR) Managing Director Ross McKenzie.

“We always had good equipment, but now we have the space to host numerous vehicles for different projects with various industry partners,” said McKenzie. “This is a facility with an immersive driving simulator, it's got a level two charger for electric vehicles, lots of elbow room, and the truck-height bays are especially critical when you have applications like advanced LIDAR, and different sensors that extend the height of passenger vehicles and SUVs. There's lots of room to play here.”

Research engineer Michal Antkiewicz said AVRIL is a game-changer on multiple fronts.

“We have companies coming over here for visits,” explained Antkiewicz. “Having a single place where they can come in, and in a single swoop see all of the projects that are going and all the different teams, that's very important for outreach, for establishing collaborations and attracting funding to our research.”

That research is a subject that's garnered them international recognition, according to Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep Bains.

Bains said this research is key to attracting manufacturers to Canada.

“In a few days I will be in Toronto with my colleagues at the auto show, and I want to tell you that I'll be singing your praises,” said Bains in a speech. “I'll be talking about the work you're doing right here, to demonstrate that the latest research is taking place in Waterloo. The University of Waterloo has been a tremendous partner to our country's auto industry, and with the opening of the AVRIL, that legacy will be extended for years to come.”

In an interview, Bains reinforced the fact that he wants to see manufacturing of new, clean vehicles in Canada.

“We want to see clean vehicles, we want to see vehicles that are connected and autonomous, and that represents the future, that's where we see the puck going,” said Bains. “We have put forward a very clear target of reducing corporate tax rates by 50 per cent for new, clean technologies. That compliments the fact that we have the lowest marginal investment tax rate amongst the G7 at 13.8 per cent.”

Those low tax rates, combined with top-of-the-line research (at the University of Waterloo), comprise the business case that Minister Bains plans to take to OEMs at the Toronto Auto Show, trying to attract manufacturers to the country.

The federal government invested around $500,000 into the project, and another $500,000 was kicked in by the provincial government.

MPP for Kitchener-Conestoga Mike Harris Jr. was there representing Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

In an interview, Harris echoed the desire to have manufacturing and tech jobs increase in the province, especially for clean vehicles.

“Anytime that we can help eliminate emissions and move more cars off the road is something we like to see,” said Harris. “Whether that be clean vehicles, obviously that's something that's very important, but also moving some of those vehicles off our highways, off our roads. We're making some significant infrastructure investments when it comes to GO train in and out of the Region. When it comes to what we're looking to do with vehicles, obviously anything we can do that promotes growth here in the region is something we're looking forward to.”

Bains and Harris emphasized their cooperation on the project, but Bains did say he's disappointed in the Ford government's repeal of incentives for Ontarians to buy electric cars.

“We stepped up in a big way with a $5,000 rebate to create the incentive for consumers to purchase these vehicles,” said Bains. “We hope that, as we move forward, we're able to encourage our provincial counterparts to re-examine their position because these are tremendous opportunities for Canadian suppliers, for Canada-produced vehicles, and also to adopt these zero-emission vehicles.” 

On the note of incentives versus research funding, Harris erred on the side of research funding and promoting the auto industry, but didn't completely rule out incentives in the future.

“At this point, we're evaluating all the different options, and of course, we've got the budget coming out in March, so stay tuned.”

With files from Tim Herd

Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep Bains and MPP of Kitchener-Conestoga @mikeharrisjrpc arrive for the grand opening of AVRIL a 4.5 million dollar research facility. @570NEWS pic.twitter.com/EbWg1lTkoh

— Ben Eppel (@570beneppel) February 11, 2020