15 - November - 2022
By: Claudia Márquez Rojas, Journalist. General Directorate of Communications.
The first version of this event on electromobility had the participation of the House of Studies, both through the institutional stand and with the presence of academics in their conversations.
The first version of Experiencia E, the International Electromobility, Renewable Energy and Sustainability Exhibition, held at Espacio Riesco in October and in which the Federico Santa María Technical University was present, received close to 24,000 visits.
For four days, more than a hundred brands and organizations related to electromobility, renewable energy and sustainability welcomed the attendees, with live demonstrations, exclusive launches and presentations that allowed the public to get closer to the latest advances and trends in these matters.
One of the exhibiting entities at the event was the USM, which at its stand showed the public the prototype of an electric van powered by hydrogen through fuel cells, developed by the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Electromobility Laboratory, located on Campus Saint Joaquin.
The exhibition of this vehicle caused great expectation and interest in the attendees, both from the specialized and general public, who came to learn more about the truck and answer their questions.
Dr. Patricio Valdivia, an academic from the Department of Electrical Engineering at USM, comments that “being able to present the hydrogen-based electric van prototype to the community and being able to resolve their concerns in this regard was very positive. In addition, opportunities for collaboration and financing of future initiatives appeared, which we hope to be able to materialize”.
authorized voices
In addition to the successful stand, the USM also had a presence in the development of the forum “Road to Zero Emissions”, organized by Experiencia E and which included holding five talks on topics relevant to sustainable development.
The first of these conversations, called “Decarbonization of the energy matrix”, had among its invited experts the researcher and academic of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the USM, Dr. Mauricio Osses, who highlighted that “the challenge for the future is to be able to migrate from thermal engines to electrical systems with batteries or green hydrogen, using electricity generated entirely from renewable sources”.
Referring to the future, Osses commented on the importance of capacity building and energy literacy. “We need many technicians, professionals and citizens, trained and empowered, to carry out this enormous challenge with risky and innovative views, different from conventional schemes”, he assured.
During the second day of the forum, Dr. Patricio Valdivia participated in the discussion “Electromobility, the challenges in operation, maintenance and security of an emerging market”, in which the USM expert referred to reliability, certifications and adaptations that electric vehicles in Chile must have in order to circulate safely, in coordination with the SEC and the Ministry of Transportation.
“For the Department of Electrical Engineering of the USM, having been present at the forum and showing the R+D+i initiatives that the House of Studies is carrying out in electromobility is a great experience, since it was possible to publicize to the entire community the work developed. Undoubtedly, the challenges in electromobility for the coming years are to advance in human, advanced and technical capital; regulation, certification and reliability measures”, affirmed Valdivia.
For his part, Dr. Osses stated that being part of the event “was a very attractive experience, since the place had all kinds of electric vehicles, test tracks, industry players, the public sector, and academia. It was also gratifying to meet several alumni who are actively working as professionals in electromobility or renewable energy issues”.