Team Brazil wins First Valeo Innovation Challenge

Global automotive supplier Valeo has announced the winners of its international innovation contest, open to engineering and university students from around the world.

The participants were invited to play an active role in automotive innovation by designing the product or system that will make the cars of 2030 smarter and more intuitive. Nearly 1,000 teams from 55 countries signed up for a chance to invent and develop bold, revolutionary solutions for the automobile of 2030. From India, the Falcons team from the Vellore Institute of Technology was among the seven finalists shortlisted last month.

A vast number of original, varied and innovative projects were reviewed by Valeo experts. The submitted technical solutions reflected each country’s prevailing societal concerns, from energy efficiency and road safety in India to smart cars and connectivity in Europe, the United States and China.

The three winning teams were selected by a jury chaired by Valeo chief executive officer Jacques Aschenbroich and comprising eminent figures from the world of science as well as Valeo executives.

The first prize, with a cash award of €100,000 (Rs 77.77 lakh), was presented to the Brazilian team from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, whose project reinvents the mechanical transmission system by coupling together the pump and the hydraulic motor. This innovation would enable the transmission to adjust to engine RPM continuously and automatically, thereby improving fuel efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions.

The two Canadian teams, one from the University of Ottawa, the other from the University of Waterloo, tied for second place.

The Canadian team from the University of Ottawa proposes to develop an end-to-end hybrid electric powertrain system combining onboard technology and connectivity. The innovation uses geolocation and traffic data to shift from city to highway mode, thereby optimizing fuel efficiency.

The Canadian team from the University of Waterloo whose project concerns an innovative, totally secure vehicle-to-vehicle communication system. It is based on the GPS and the time synchronization of data from each vehicle’s GPS sensors. Naturally, one of the initial applications would be to transmit road safety information, such as hazardous road conditions, emergency braking, accidents or rain.

The two second place teams each received a cheque for €10,000 (Rs 7.77 lakh).
Following the ceremony, Valeo kicked off the second edition of its global innovation contest, Valeo Innovation Challenge 2015. Students from around the world may now register on the Challenge’s dedicated website.  For more information, log in to https://valeoinnovationchallenge.valeo.com/

For the second consecutive year, Valeo was featured in Thomson Reuters’ Top 100 Global Innovators 2013 ranking, in recognition of the Group’s commitment to innovation. Most of the Group’s R&D programs are focused on the design of technologies that reduce motor vehicle CO2 emissions and promote intuitive driving. The company ranks among the leading patent filers in France and dedicates 10 percent of its original equipment sales to innovation. With close to 10,000 researchers in 16 research centres and 34 development centres around the world, Valeo has developed a wide array of innovative products and technologies that represent more than 30 percent of its order intake.