Among the glitz and glamour of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, University innovations make up many of the underpinnings of the automobiles of tomorrow.

Ranging from solar technologies to advanced battery design, University students and faculty comprise a substantial part of NAIAS, even if it’s not widely known. The University’s partnerships with the Detroit Three — General Motors, Chrysler Group, and Ford Motor Co. — have assisted in providing student groups and University researchers with funding for projects to help the companies develop technologies to implement in future automobiles, many of which are on debut at the show.

One of the University exhibitors featured prominently at NAIAS — an annual showcase of future products in the automobile industry held this year from Jan. 9-22 at the COBO Center in Detroit — is the University’s Solar Car Team. Eric Hausman, interim project manager for the team, said the group maintains partnerships with GM, Ford and Chrysler and the companies are often interested in the new designs and technologies that the car employs.

Hausman said many of the students involved with the project get hired from their former sponsors.

“There’s a lot of interest in going right into the industry … because we work with all those companies,” Hausman said. “(Sponsorship) not only helps the companies, it helps the students that work with the companies, so it’s a win-win relationship.”

Hausman said that the solar car exhibit draws a variety of people each year, ranging from curious onlookers to industry executives eager to investigate the up and coming technology.

“Everybody wants to know or likes to see where the auto industry is heading, like the new technologies incorporated into our vehicle,” Hausman said, adding that corporate sponsors also appreciate the chance to have their brands displayed on the car at the exhibit.

Sakti3, a company founded by Enginnering Prof. Ann Marie Sastry, is also present at the show, showcasing its advanced battery technology. Sastry wrote in an email that her company was primarily involved with GM in designing the next generation of batteries.

“We partnered early with the automakers — well before batteries were really a part of the conversation at the Auto Show,” Sastry wrote. “Now, it's becoming clear that there is a potential to avoid execution of two infrastructures — one for grid power, and a liquid fuel (gasoline) infrastructure for transportation — if we can improve energy density in batteries.”

Edward Krause, external alliances manager at Ford, said the automaker’s partnerships with the University have yielded valuable information for the company over the years. He said while Ford has a long history with the University — including donating the land that now houses the University’s Dearborn campus — the relationship was officially formalized in May 2006.

Since 2006, Krause said the University has helped the company in a variety of ways, from testing tires to creating new algorithms for fuel efficiency and roll stability control. He added that Ford has also partnered with non-engineering departments at the University, like the School of Natural Resources and Environment to determine how Ford could enter the developing market of “megacities” like Shanghai or Mumbai, where streets are over-congested and automobile transportation isn’t effective.

Ford has also worked with the Ross School of Business to determine the market conditions in which consumers will be more willing to purchase smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.

Ford’s interactive interface, SYNC, which allows drivers to dial a cell phone by voice activation, was partially derived from safety data collected by the University’s Transportation Research Institute, Krause added.

“There was a lot of concern initially that any involvement on the phone was a big distraction,” Krause said. “The distraction is not talking.