Canada’s first full-build, zero-emissions concept vehicle visits students at SDSS

Students Cylis Trembley, Quinn Hyde, Jayden Tipping, Nick Wagner and Derek Gropp were among some of the first students to see Canada’s first original, full-build, zero-emission concept vehicle, Project Arrow. Photo:
Amanda Modaragamage, Local Journalism Initiative.

Students at Stratford District Secondary School (SDSS) had a first-hand look at Canada’s first original, full-build, zero-emission concept vehicle, Project Arrow, on March 20.

The car was displayed for SDSS students in the “Specialist High Skills Major Program in Transportation” with representatives from the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA) on hand to answer questions.

“The questions from the students have been excellent,” said Tony Roes, Specialist High Skills Major Program in Transportation and co-op teacher at SDSS. “It’s been really great to see them so engaged. They’ve been able to tie the concept to engineering, automotive classes and, of course, manufacturing, as well as some of our green industry classes.
“We’re really lucky that the kids actually get to see something like this.”

Valued at over $20 million and launched by the APMA, Project Arrow is an all-Canadian effort designed, engineered, and built by Canada’s world-class automotive supply sector and post-secondary institutions.

Paola Barahona, Project Arrow’s Project Lead, said the product was initially launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. “We mainly travel across Ontario, but we’ve travelled to the USA and even Dubi. We will also be taking it to the Canadian Auto Show in Toronto later this year.”

APMA’s Project Arrow aims to inspire local high school students to become interested in mechanical design and engineering and answer the Prime Minister’s call for a Zero-Emissions future by 2050.

“We just hope that students feel inspired to tap into those dreams and reach out to those partners because the opportunities are endless in the automotive field,” said Barahona. “We are launching 2.0, And sooner rather than later, the high school students here at SDSS will be entering colleges and universities throughout Ontario.
“Project Arrow aims to help students understand that there are cool experiences that they can be a part of and that there’s so much opportunity out there.”

This project has brought together the best of Canada’s electric-drive, alternative-fuel, connected and autonomous, and lightweight technology companies.

The APMA is Canada’s national association representing OEM producers of parts, equipment, tools, supplies, advanced technology and services for the global automotive industry. The Association’s fundamental objective is to promote the original equipment (O.E.) automotive supply manufacturing industry both domestically and internationally.

The City of Stratford has a long-standing special relationship with the APMA, which started in November 2017 when the Ontario government officially named the city a Demonstration Zone for Autonomous Vehicles in partnership with the Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN).  At that time, the province invested $80 million over five years to create the Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network in partnership with Ontario Centres of Excellence.

As the Province’s first Demonstration Zone, the City was among the first of its kind in Canada. This allowed researchers to hone the technology and test an AV in a wide range of everyday, real-life traffic scenarios.

“I am thrilled that Project Arrow visited Stratford District Secondary,” said Mayor Martin Ritsma. “As Mayor, former principal and educator, I know that the opportunity to engage with this amazing technology will encourage and inspire the students there and countless Stratford youth to dream and fulfill their potential as innovators of tomorrow.”

To learn more about the project or follow along on the journey, visit https://apma.ca/project-arrow/.