Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne wished McMaster’s EcoCAR 3 team good luck in an upcoming competition and lauded the University’s position as a research and innovation powerhouse in a video message.

Wynne sent well wishes for the upcoming Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition in Yuma, Arizona and San Diego, California on May 15 to 25 and commended the team on its success in last year’s competition.

The team must integrate the vehicle powertrain to move on in the competition next month.

“McMaster’s team is showing how the economy and the environment can not only co-exist, but flourish together.”

– Premier Kathleen Wynne

“It was terrific to see it honoured as the best rookie team,” Wynne said in a video posted to her official Facebook and Twitter pages on April 19. “And not just the best in 2015 but the best in the 27-year history of the competition. The team’s work is reinforcing McMaster’s position as one of Ontario’s top research universities and Ontario’s position as a hub of innovation.”

The four-year EcoCAR 3 challenge pits McMaster engineering, business and communication students against teams from 15 other universities across North America in a race to make a Chevrolet Camaro lighter, faster, and more fuel-efficient.

McMaster is one of only two Canadian universities involved with the competition.

This one-of-a-kind educational experience is open to students of all levels and disciplines and follows a rigorous competition schedule with tight deadlines and strict challenges. More than 70 students are involved with the project.

Throughout the next two years of EcoCAR 3, the team will be working closely with the McMaster Automotive Resource Centre (MARC).

This facility – part of McMaster Innovation Park – houses some of the most cutting-edge vehicle research, simulation, and testing tools as well as hundreds of academics, students, and industry representatives dedicated to improving the efficiency of the vehicles on Canadian roads.

EcoCAR 3 is the latest in the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) series. AVTCs represent a unique collaboration of government, industry, and academic partners who combine resources to explore sustainable transportation solutions.