Canadian Universities Make an Electric Debut at CES with Project Arrow

Students from Carleton University and Ontario Tech University contributed in big ways to Project Arrow: the first all-Canadian electric car.

Engineering takes a village — especially if you're engineering the first all-Canadian electric car! Students at Carleton University and Ontario Tech University have worked together to design, develop, and build Project Arrow, the first electric vehicle that is 100% Canadian. Project Arrow debuted this month at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas!

Designed at Carleton

Four students at Carleton's School of Industrial Design won the Project Arrow design competition — beating out 20 other teams from across Canada — to conceptualize the electric vehicle.

Kaj Hallgrimsson, Jun-Won Kim, Mina Morcos, and Matthew Schuetz worked together to produce a sleek, streamlined take on a modern SUV, with the aim of producing a vehicle able to handle all the rigours of family life during a Canadian winter. The design entry was an extra-curricular endeavour these four designers took on, in addition to their regular schoolwork and internship responsibilities — quite an achievement in just 12 weeks!

Project Arrow, and new designs that are sure to follow, will help Canada get on the path to a zero-emissions future.

Built at Ontario Tech

Ontario Tech University was chosen by Canada's Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association to take the lead on the second phase of the project: building the car. OTU's reputation for excellence in automobile servicing and manufacturing won them the contract, but it was a team of experts and students who brought Project Arrow to life.

Aerodynamic testing took place at OTU's ACE Core Research Facility, and more than 20 Ontario Tech students contributed to the build, including fourth-year Automotive Engineering student Andrew Genovese, who installed many of the most vital components, and fourth-year Mechatronics Engineering student Izzy Cossarin, who had a hand in developing almost every component.

Both Andrew and Izzy went to Las Vegas for the unveiling of Project Arrow at CES!

Unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show

CES is a trade show held each year in Las Vegas that hosts presentations and demos for all sorts of cutting-edge tech. CES has been run since the '60s, and was the launching pad for technologies including the CD player, the NES, and HDTV. In recent years, electric cars, like Project Arrow, have drawn a lot of attention at the show.

What's next for Project Arrow?

Though Project Arrow is a one-off prototype, not intended for expansive manufacture, its success points to a new era in electric vehicles here in Canada. The technology needed to produce reliable, quality electric cars is here, and our collective ingenuity will help the field grow. Thanks in part to dedicated, forward-thinking students at Canadian universities and colleges, we can look forward to a more sustainable, equitable future!

Congrats to all the students who contributed to this amazing project.