Joining the Drive4Data Program

Drive4Data Research Program (for Fleets and Individuals)

Help research. Help yourself. By leading the shift to electric vehicles you're reducing air pollution, cutting carbon emissions, and shrinking Canada's reliance on fossil fuels. But your impact doesn't have to end there.

Introduction & Invitation

The Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE) at the University of Waterloo invites you to participate in the Drive4Data initiative. This initiative collects and analyzes real-world data for electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in electric hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), collectively referred to herein as plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). Collected data will inform researchers providing timely energy solutions, and will enable interested participants to better understand their driving behaviour and its relationship to vehicle energy use.

The overall objective of Drive4Data is the generation of a large-scale database of real-world PEV drive cycles and energy use to enable researchers to increase PEV performance and adoption rates, to enable fleet operators to better manage their fleets, and to enable individuals to better understand and therefore potentially control the energy and emission impacts from their vehicle.

WISE unites leading researchers from dozens of disciplines to address complex energy challenges, including removing barriers to PEV adoption. The Drive4Data initiative is supported by the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Cambridge North Dumfries Hydro, Kitchener Wilmot Hydro, Waterloo North Hydro and endorsed by Sustainable Waterloo Region. WISE is working with CrossChasm Technologies Inc. to supply a monitoring solution, and with local vehicle providers to install the monitoring device in the vehicle.

Research Overview: With the overall goal of removing barriers to the increased adoption of PEVs and encouragement of green mobility, specific research efforts currently centre around five key themes: smart grids; information and communication systems; smart chargers; energy storage; and greener driving. Smart grids can take advantage of PEVs by using their batteries to store green energy. Information and communication systems can help us find new ways to manage changing patterns of supply and demand to, for example, resolve issues such as PEV roaming and bill settlement. Smart chargers can power vehicles without straining the electrical grid and be sited for maximum benefit. Energy storage in the form of batteries, if well managed while on a PEV, can have their life-cycle extended to post-vehicle second use, reducing life-cycle environmental impacts. And, greener driving through smartphone apps, feedback tools, and batteries that last longer will help drivers go further on a single charge.

Drive4Data Agreement

You are invited to participate in the Drive4Data research program conducted by members of the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE), under the supervision of Armughan Al-Haq, Manager of Program Development and Partnerships, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy, and Roydon Fraser, Professor, Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering of the University of Waterloo, Canada.

The overall objective of Drive4Data is the generation of a large-scale database of real-world PEV drive cycles and energy use to enable researchers to increase PEV performance and adoption rates, to enable fleet operators to better manage their fleets, and to enable individuals to better understand and therefore potentially control the energy and emission impacts from their vehicle and to potentially assist individuals with future vehicle purchase decisions.

Participating Drive4Data drivers will have a CrossChasm Technologies C5 Vehicle Datalogger attached to their vehicle's on-board-diagnostic (OBD) port usually situated under the dashboard with a small antenna (about the size of a hockey puck) that sits on the dashboard itself. The Vehicle Datalogger will collect, via wireless-cellular, a minimum of your vehicle speed as a function of time. Depending on your vehicle, the datalogger may also collect additional drive cycle and powertrain information, for example, vehicle acceleration, pedal position, battery state-of-charge. Note, participants will also have the option to opt-in to providing GPS data, enabling access to the vehicle's driving routes and locations. GPS data is needed by researchers who, for example, seek to improve vehicle efficiency or determine optimum PEV charger locations.

When you register for the Drive4Data program you agree to have the Vehicle Datalogger, identified via its Identification Number (ID), matched with the personal information you provide (for example, name and email address), and with the make and model of your car, all stored on a secure server accessible only to Drive4Data program administrators. A link between your Vehicle Datalogger and your personal information is required to enable Drive4Data administrators to contact you should there be a malfunction with your Vehicle Datalogger, to enable additional consent to be sought for possible expansions to the Drive4Data program, and to enable you, should you so choose, to actively review online your drive cycle and fuel economy performance. Upon exiting the Drive4Data program your personal information will be electronically archived for a maximum of two years and then erased. Drive cycle and powertrain data and vehicle make and model information will not be deleted, but rather kept for ongoing and future research purposes.

You will receive notice of several surveys throughout each year of the study. Participation in all surveys is voluntary. You are under no obligation to participate in any survey but your participation will be much appreciated as it will enable additional researchers to benefit from your drive cycle data collected. You may also decline to answer any survey questions that you do not wish to answer. Expectations are that some, maybe all, surveys may be completed online on the web. Surveys may use United States of America services, for example Survey Monkey(TM). Consequently, USA authorities under provisions of the Patriot Act may access survey data collected using these services. If you prefer not to complete a survey on the web, please contact the Drive4Data program and we will make arrangements to provide you with another method of participation understanding that the alternate method may decrease anonymity (e.g., the return address on a mailed-in survey may be seen by more than Drive4Data administrators). However, confidentiality will be maintained regardless of the method chosen.

To maintain privacy and confidentiality, all drive cycle and survey data collected and accessible by researchers will be associated with your Vehicle Datalogger ID and the make and model of your car, but not with any personal information. All anonymous drive cycle and survey data may be archived indefinitely. It is important for you to know that any information that you provide will be treated as confidential. Publically reported data will be in a form that prevents the possible identification of any individual. For example, it may be summarized or amalgamated.

The Drive4Data program is currently scheduled to last one year but may be extended. If you wish to withdraw from the Drive4Data study at any time, please advise the Drive4Data research program by email (info@wise.uwaterloo.ca) or phone (519-888-4764, x 38760) to arrange return of the Vehicle Datalogger. Upon exiting the Drive4Data program you are to return the Vehicle Datalogger, however, if you participate in the program for a minimum of one year there is a possibility that you will be allowed to keep the Vehicle Datalogger.

By participating in the Drive4Data program you agree (i) to having drive cycle and powertrain related data collected from you vehicle with a CrossChasm Technologies C5 Vehicle Datalogger installed in your vehicle, and (ii) to inform all users of your vehicle of the presence and purpose of the Vehicle Datalogger, and (iii) to having legal authority to give permission for any individual who can legally drive but under the age of 18 to participate in the Drive4Data program. You can be confident in knowing that the Vehicle Datalogger has been successfully installed in many electric, plug-in hybrid electric, hybrid, and conventional vehicles without incident or concern.

This Drive4Data Agreement has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through the Office of Research Ethics at the University of Waterloo. Nevertheless, the final decision about participation is yours. If you have any comments or concerns resulting from your participation in the Drive4Data program please feel free to contact Dr. Maureen Nummelin, the Director, Office of Research Ethics, at 1-519-888-4567, Ext. 36005 or <maureen.nummelin@uwaterloo.ca>.

Should you have any questions about the study, please contact the Drive4Data program at <info@wise.uwaterloo.ca>, by phone (519-888-4764, x 44618), or contact Armughan Al-Haq, Manager of Program Development and Partnerships, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy at <armughan.al-haq@uwaterloo.ca>, or contact Roydon Fraser, Professor, Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering at <rafraser@uwaterloo.ca>, all of the University of Waterloo, Canada. Results from the Drive4Data Program when available will be shown on an ongoing basis through the Drive4Data website.

There are no known or anticipated risks from participating in the Drive4Data program.

Thank you for considering the Drive4Data program.