Mobility Matters event encourages input from older adults to inform design of electric vehicles

Brenda Vrkljan, a professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University, is leading a study that connects older adult drivers with McMaster Engineering students, staff and faculty at the McMaster Automotive Resource Centre (MARC). The study is intended to facilitate meaningful knowledge transfer that will lead to safer and more accessible automotive design.

The event, Mobility Matters, hosted more than 70 older adults at MARC in April to learn more about electrification in the automotive industry and to share key insights on accessibility challenges they face on the road.

Students from the McMaster EcoCAR team based at MARC who are competing in a multi-year competition to engineer the next-generation of battery electric vehicles, led presentations and discussion groups with attendees.

“EcoCAR is an advanced vehicle technology competition where we take a production vehicle and completely re-engineer it. A large portion of the EcoCAR competition is focused on equity and mobility. Partnering with Dr. Brenda Vrkljan made a lot of sense. We have one of the largest research institutes for aging adults, and her work on older adult driving really played into the equity side and accessibility considerations within the competition. So being able to work with her as we develop the car, making it the most accessible as we can is really important to us.”