Industry members attend semi-annual SMART@CAR consortium review; new program manager BJ Yurkovich appointed

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Over 30 industry members attended the semi-annual SMART@ CAR consortium review on June 10, 2013. Industries represented included automotive, utility and vendor. They were joined by energy experts from The Ohio State University to review current and future research projects as well as to discuss current trends and related issues.

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Ed Ungar, President of Taratec Corporation presents during the meeting.
During the review, final research project results were presented for the project "Secondary-Life of Automotive Lithium Ion Batteries." Additionally several new research projects were introduced, including "Impact of Natural Gas on Electric Utilities," "Microgrid Testbed Development at CAR," and "Assessment and Management of Level 3 DC Electric Vehicle Charging Loads."

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BJ Yurkovich

At the meeting official announcement was made that BJ Yurkovich will move into the role of program manager for SMART@ CAR. He is a research associate at Ohio State's Center for Automotive Research and has been a leader in various SMART@ CAR projects. He described his enthusiasm for the program. "With all the new innovations, technologies, and policies that surround the utility and transportation industry, it is an exciting time to be part of a group that can address the challenges that exist at the intersection of these industries. I am looking forward to the opportunity to help lead SMART@CAR through this new era."

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Vincenzo Marano

Outgoing program manager, Vincenzo Marano, who has led the group since 2008, will participate as senior research advisor and continues in his role as adjunct fellow at Ohio State's Center for Automotive Research. The program flourished under Marano's leadership and he looks to the group's promising future.

The meeting concluded with a members-only roundtable discussion and laboratories were open for tours. Communication regarding the next meeting will be sent to members. Non-members who would like more information regarding the consortium should contact BJ Yurkovich, yurkovich.7@osu.edu.

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About SMART@ CAR
SMART@ CAR is an industry driven research and development program focused on plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and intelligent charging. SMART@ CAR is a program of Ohio State's Center for Automotive Research that takes a multi-disciplinary systems approach to research problems related to the development, manufacturing, deployment, and application of plug-in electric vehicles. The SMART@ CAR collaborative intends to merge academic research with the insights and experience of: automotive manufacturers and suppliers; battery manufacturers; electric utilities; and others.