Newark and element14 sponsor U of T’s car team

Newark and its element14 Community have signed on as a platinum sponsor of aUToronto, the University of Toronto’s student-led self-driving car team, as they compete in the SAE/GM AutoDrive Challenge II. Newark and element14 Community will provide funding and electronic parts over two years as an ADC II Hardware Sponsor to assist the aUToronto team in building their autonomous vehicle capable of navigating complex environments by 2025.

aUToronto took first place in the first AutoDrive Challenge series (2018-2021), where they successfully converted a Chevrolet Bolt EV into a self-driving car. This second series (AutoDrive Challenge II) encourages participating university teams to develop and demonstrate an autonomous vehicle (AV) that can navigate urban driving courses as described by SAE Standard (J3016) Level 4 automation. aUToronto’s team from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering has already taken the top spot overall in the first competition of the four-year AutoDrive Challenge II. The achievement by aUToronto continues an impressive winning streak for the team.

aUToronto’s team from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering is competing in the SAE/GM AutoDrive Challenge II.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be a part of what the aUToronto team of university students are doing for this impressive SAE/GM AutoDrive Challenge II,” said Dianne Kibbey, global head of community and social media for element14. “This intercollegiate competition presents no small task and we are in a unique position to provide mentoring and support from our global element14 Community and a wide selection of needed parts from Newark’s vast catalog. In the upcoming challenges, students will need to demonstrate knowledge and expertise across 2D, 3D, light, lane and radar object detection, and perception tracking alongside leadership in overall system safety testing and operations. We couldn’t be prouder of the incredible creativity and effort made by this exceptional group of students.”

element14 Community will also be providing regular updates on their website regarding aUToronto’s accomplishments and success throughout the coming year.

Queens University also competing in AutoDrive Challenge

Although not on the recipient end of funding from Newark and element14, Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario is among the two Canadian schools invited to compete in the SAE AutoDrive Challenge II. The team from Queen’s U will spend the next four years working towards the development of a SAE Level 4 Autonomous Vehicle. According to Queen’s website, the team’s mission is to learn as much as it can about autonomous driving, while attempting to foster an interesting and supportive environment for students to contribute. Among the sponsors supporting Queen’s University’s design efforts includes: Intel, Mathworks, and Siemens.