Fanshawe unveils fully electric Can-Am Ryker trike

On May 15, Fanshawe’s Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI), in partnership with the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists, unveiled a custom, fully electrified Can-Am Ryker trike re-engineered by Fanshawe students.

The trike electrification project replaced a traditional internal combustion engine with an electric propulsion system. It marks the first time a Ryker trike has been transformed into an electric vehicle, demonstrating what is possible when applied research and student talent come together. 

Working alongside a team of faculty researchers, student research assistants spent months redesigning the vehicle’s propulsion system, integrating battery technology and addressing real-world engineering challenges related to fabrication, drivetrain integration and system safety.

 “This project demonstrates the scope of applied research at Fanshawe: the talents of our students and faculty, the capabilities of our facilities and equipment, and the administrative and management capacity to bring everything together successfully,” said Ian Butcher, CRI’s senior manager of research projects.

The project gave students hands-on experience throughout the full research and development process, from concept and design to prototyping and testing.

“It’s great to finally see the trike out in the wild and watch everybody’s reaction to it, especially knowing what the machine is capable of,” said Philip Beausoleil, a graduate of the Electromechanical Engineering Technician program who played a lead role in the project.

Philip recently started working as an R&D engineer with Appetronix, an automation start-up specializing in food automation.

“(Food automation) is very different from what I’ve been working on, but a lot of the skills transfer over,” he said.

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