The Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA) of Canada has unveiled a fully operational concept car of its Project Arrow EV three years after announcing its intention to develop an entirely new electric vehicle.
Ninety-seven percent of the components in the fully functional concept car are from Canada.
According to APMA head Flavio Volpe, Project Arrow was developed to showcase the expertise and technologies offered by Canadian suppliers. It was revealed in concept form at CES 2023 on schedule, under budget, and with 97 percent domestic content.
Proudly made by students
The vehicle you see in the photos was created by four students from Carleton University’s School of Industrial Design and constructed at Ontario Tech University’s vehicle engineering facility using parts from nearly 60 suppliers, including companies specializing in critical minerals.
According to Driving, the federal government of Canada and several state governments each contributed $8.2 million to the project’s funding.
The Project Arrow
Although there aren’t many details available about the electric crossover, the powertrain contains an 82.5-kWh lithium-ion battery with a range of about 310 miles (500 kilometers), partly because of help from the solar-cell roof panel.
For all-wheel drive, a battery powers two electric motors with a combined output of 550 horsepower, one on each axle. The Project Arrow EV can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.5 seconds thanks to this configuration. The EV has Level 3 autonomy, an intelligent cockpit, and cybersecurity technology, according to APMA.
The association has no plans to create another prototype and won’t even test it in a crash. However, the crossover’s design has commercially ready parts that can be produced in bulk on an assembly line to comply with Canada’s safety regulations for road legality.
Project Arrow will not go into production at this time, according to APMA. The car is primarily a showcase for Canadian suppliers of parts who want to provide genuine parts to automakers.
Anybody who is considering Canada for electric vehicle assembly, number one, we have all the components here, and Project Arrow shows it to you without giving you theoretical BS. Number two, it says we have all the technical know-how and people required to do this successfully
Flavio Volpe, APMA President stated on Project Arrow’s production
3D-printed by Xaba
Most notably, Project Arrow includes a composite chassis 3D-printed by the Toronto-based startup Xaba for software, engineering, and robotics. The entire chassis was 3D printed by Xaba’s Intelligent Machine using specially designed composites from Dartmouth-based Meta Materials.
After making its global debut at CES 2023, the Project Arrow EV idea will appear this year at the Detroit, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Montreal auto shows and visits to various OEMs to showcase its technology.
