Automotive Research Centers & Initiatives

What Is It?

Carolina’s high-tech centers and initiatives offer access to talent, knowledge, and facilities with opportunities for collaboration among academia, government, and industry. These centers and initiatives include automotive research, manufacture and/or assembly, and parts and supplies manufacture and distribution for consumer automobiles, NASCAR racing cars, trucks and buses. This research area has high growth opportunities for manufacture/assembly, associated parts and supplies companies and motorsports expansion with Clemson’s planned Wind Tunnel and the University of North Carolina -Charlotte’s planned Testing and Measurement Track.

Universities Involved

Clemson University 

  • ICAR (International Center for Automotive Research) with BMW, IBM, Microsoft and Michelin as partners.
  • Graduate Engineering Center of Automotive Systems Integration.
  • IT Research Center.
  • Works closely with IMEF (International Motorsports Education Forum), particularly with collaboration with colleges and universities in Great Britain.  This could lead to a ramp up in the U.S. around Formula 1 Racing.
  • Planned aerodynamic testing Wind Tunnel.

University of North Carolina - Charlotte

  • Motorsports and Automotive Research Center (NCMARC) does research in light-weight castings, machining, surface finishes and virtual manufacturing.
  • Motorsports instrumentation, aerodynamics and testing and measurement.
  • Currently links to NASCAR’s test track in Mooresville.
  • Motorsports Management curriculum.
  • Planned Testing and Measurement Track for NASCAR to simulate all NASCAR racing tracks and conditions.

North Carolina State University 

  • Research into nanoscale lubricants to reduce friction and ware.
  • Center for Research and Scientific Computation work with companies such as the Lord Corporation in bonding materials for automobiles and Michelin for automobile tire performance.
  • Research into materials science, paints and plastics.

North Carolina A&T State University 

  • Expertise in motor sports management.

Community/Technical Colleges Involved

York Technical College
Training, assistance and specialty projects through its Institute for Manufacturing Productivity (IMP). One of only five such colleges in the U.S. with “tool and die” capability. The IMP provides nanotechnology tolerance and has the latest Okuma and Fanuc Robotics machines. Key customers include General Motors and Harley Davidson.

  • Heavy Equipment Certificate Program.
  • Truck Driving Certificate Program.