General Motors of Canada has collaborated with Maplesoft, a developer of high performance physical modeling and simulation software, and the University of Waterloo on new five-year, $10.5m EV project to facilitate widespread use of electric vehicles.

The research, which will involve model-based design and prototype testing of EVs, is being supported by the Automotive Partnership Canada (APC) with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada as the lead agency.

APC will provide $3.6m, in addition to $2.5m from the Ontario Research Fund for the EV project that will have research team from the university focus on the development and validation of technologies such as vehicle stability control, power management systems, and battery monitoring and charging devices.

GM vehicle development teams will test the technologies originating from the University of Waterloo, gaining insight into bringing new technology concepts to market, and help transform the research findings into an integrated technological system.

Maplesoft will use its modeling capabilities to incorporate the researchers’ ideas into new design tools that GM’s staff can apply during their routine engineering work to particularly help improve the batteries deployed in EVs.

GM, Canada president and managing director Kevin Williams said that vehicle electrification is a key pillar of the company’s energy diversification strategy.

“Building on our leading R&D commitments in Canada, this project better positions us to exceed customers’ expectations with respect to the performance, safety, and sustainability of our EV technologies,” Williams said.