Trumping major American automobile manufacturers, students at Memorial High School in West New York are getting close to the finish line on a usable electric car.
The $14,000 project is part of a pilot program for a new class on alternative fuel that was developed by technology education teacher Ron Grosinger.
“Green technology is definitely where the future is going.” – Ron Grosinger
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This year, students are learning how to build an electric car starting with the frame of an old Volkswagen Cabrio.
“The car will actually be like a sleeper car, which means it’s going to look stock, and then, you are just never going to hear an engine, so it will be kind of a surprise for most people,” said Grosinger. He added that the car will be legal for driving on regular roads.
The car will produce no emissions, said Grosinger, and it will have three basic parts, the electric motor, speed controller, and batteries. The students have already taken out the original gasoline engine, weighing 255 pounds, and are currently preparing for the installation of 12 batteries, each 72 pounds.
Grosinger said the batteries needed to be so large (about double the size of a regular car battery) because of what the group wanted the car to be able to do.
“We wanted to do 70 m.p.h., and we also want to do a 40 mile range until you have to charge it again,” he said. He added that much like a cell phone, the car will be plugged in.
The students have an April 15 deadline, and Grosinger said they are well on their way to meeting it. When it is completed, Grosinger will present the car at the New Jersey Technology Education Association conference this summer.
The lab is usually open from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. About 18 students participate in the program, but Grosinger said there is a handful of them who are especially dedicated and are there every chance they get.
One of those students, senior Ahmed Awawdeh, said he didn’t know much about cars when he starting working on the project.
“I just liked them,” he said. “I used to talk to Mr. Grosinger a lot about cars, and he knew I really liked them. So, when we first started taking the engine out, every single wire we would pull out, every single plug, everything, he would tell me what it does.” Awawdeh also said that working on the car has changed what he wants to do professionally and that he even recently visited a college because of its mechanics program.
Students also said they liked learning how emissions affect the environment, how alternative fuels work, and why it is important to think and live green.
“Compared to a gas car, here you don’t have an exhaust,” said junior Alejandro Pino. “You don’t have a gas line. You are not polluting.”
“It is better for the earth,” said senior Rolando Perez. “It is better for my kids and their grandkids and later on.”
Other students saw the project as an opportunity to learn more about tools and what they can do.
“I have learned how to use machinery that I never thought I would be able to use,” said sophomore Brenda Torres. She added that her dad had already taught her how to change oil and tires before she started working on this project.
“I learned a lot from him and this helped to elaborate on that,” she said.
Next year, the class will build a biodiesel car and an electric car. In addition to the hands-on activities, students will also do independent research on alternative fuels, what toxins gasoline contains, and what effect those have on the earth. The class will also incorporate math and biology.
Grosinger said teachers from other schools have called him wanting to know more about the new program. He learned how to build an electric car at a two-week conference he attended in San Diego last summer. He has also already gutted a mini motorcycle and made it electric for use in the upcoming school play.