The Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) in the Bourns College of Engineering at UC Riverside is about to shift into high gear in the race to develop zero-emission vehicles.

AVL, a leading company for development, simulation and testing technology of powertrains for passenger cars, trucks and large engines, has donated $1 million worth of emissions testing instrumentation and software to develop the automotive laboratory of the future at CE-CERT.

The donation allows CE-CERT to launch a new training program for engineers, managers and academics who would like to learn how to use the new equipment for compliance, research or emissions inventory purposes. The first training opportunity, a two week portable emission measurement systems class, is being held July 9–20, and features the new lab, including demonstrations of the road-to-lab concept.

“This new phase in the partnership between AVL and CE-CERT will strengthen our region's efforts to grow a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem around air quality and sustainability," said Rosibel Ochoa, associate vice chancellor for technology partnerships at UCR and member of the Riverside County Workforce Development Board. "The training and research opportunities made by AVL's state of the art emission testing systems will enhance our workforce development efforts.”

Experts at CE-CERT’s new light-duty testing facility will work toward the goals of zero emissions and zero vehicle accidents. The new testing facility will achieve this by focusing on areas such as electrification, dynamic energy and emissions management, simulation, traffic patterns, advanced driver assistance systems, connected vehicles, and artificial intelligence. As vehicles are increasingly incorporated into the “Internet of Things,” the tools in this new facility will allow CE-CERT to stay on the cusp of the industry’s latest advancements.

“The benefit of this new partnership is the ability to have the latest tools in the hands of the innovation of a university. Not only can we be involved in the direction the research goes, but we are educating the new leaders who will benefit from these tools. In the end, communities and the environment all benefit so this is a win-win situation,” said Kent Johnson, principal investigator for emissions and fuels research at CE-CERT.

Kyle Kimel, president of AVL Test Systems, Inc., said that this donation is the next step in AVL’s push for a more complete emissions training center and a new research hub for zero-impact emissions technology in Southern California. The donation will help CE-CERT to modernize its light-duty chassis dyno facility and install the latest technology in gaseous and particle emissions measurement, advanced test automation, and portable emissions measurement systems equipment.

“AVL is partnering with CE-CERT because we share a common goal,” Kimel explained. “We both want to educate students entering the automotive or air quality fields and develop these future engineers and researchers.”

Limited registration for the course, “Collecting Real-World Emissions Using Portable Emission Measurement Systems (PEMS)”, is still available at http://www.cert.ucr.edu/act/pems/index.html.