THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 5, 1995 TAG: 9505050551
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Long : 150 lines
The race cars sat ready in their bays, brightly painted and heavily stickered, prepared to leap over the starting line. Pit crews worked busily under the hoods, checking that all systems were go.
Only one thing was missing: the roar of engines.
The vehicles were electric. Their faint whirr was barely audible.
Thursday was the kick-off of the second annual Electric Vehicle Grand Prix, sponsored by Virginia Power at the Richmond International Raceway.
Twenty-six teams of high school and university students from throughout the country towed homemade electric hot rods to the raceway to compete in categories ranging from design to handling to speed. The competitors included teams from the Norfolk school system's Technical Vocational Center and the Chesapeake school district's Center for Science and Technology.
The vehicles varied from souped-up stock cars to low-riding Indy-types.
The three-day competition, which culminates in a race Saturday, is intended to show the public what electric cars can do - and encourage aspiring auto mechanics to learn how to assemble and service them.
``It's kind of a science project come to life,'' said Paul A. McConvey, a senior energy efficiency consultant for Virginia Power.
It's not easy to create electric cars.
The high school teams had to gut gasoline-powered cars and rebuild them.
``Everything in this car has been hard,'' said Nathan C. Williams, an automotive technology teacher at the Chesapeake technical center, surveying the yellow-and-white hatchback he and his students assembled in just a few months.
The 1979 Volkswagen, formerly a teacher's family car, now has roll bars inside and only one seat, for the driver. It's powered by eight 12-volt batteries.
The trick is to rig the batteries, along with all the other parts, to keep the car running for the duration of the race without recharging. And the car still must meet race officials' stringent specifications for equipment, power and safety.
``We had to gut it and custom-make everything to fit this car,'' said Tracy L. Burris, parent of one of Williams' students.
``Every little piece,'' Williams said.
For the Chesapeake students and teachers, it meant weeks of late-night and weekend work before they finally got to see the car run about 1 a.m. Tuesday. The first real test drives were Wednesday, the day before the car had to be ready for competition.
The students now are electric car junkies.
``The future is electric,'' said Don R. Berry Jr., 18, a senior at Deep Creek High and an automotive specialist student at Chesapeake's technical center.
Virginia Power officials are convinced that Berry is correct.
That's why they have gone to the trouble of establishing the annual grand prix, one of only two in the country that allow high school students to build cars and compete. The other is in Phoenix each March.
``The notion here is that, in order for electric vehicles to actually become integrated into our national transportation system, we have to grow an infrastructure of technicians that can service electric vehicles,'' said Virginia Power spokeswoman Kimberlie J. Farlow.
Farlow and other power company officials say there is evidence, despite automakers' past reluctance to promote electric car technology, that an industry is blossoming.
About 20 companies in the nation supply electric-car parts. About double that number supply the batteries. And the number is growing, said Donald B. Karner, president and chief operations officer of Electric Vehicle Technology Competitions Ltd., a Phoenix-based company that organizes electric car competitions and expositions.
``We believe the electric vehicle industry is just about ready to take off,'' Karner said.
That's due in part to intense lobbying by Virginia Power and other companies that have an interest in showing the public that electric is better.
Virginia Power now owns 38 electric-powered vehicles - the second largest fleet in the country. Meter readers and company officials drive the cars, demonstrating how efficient they are.
McConvey said his big customers, like Hampton Roads city governments, have shown some interest. But none has made a commitment to buy any of the cars.
One holdup, McConvey said, is ``unfamiliarity with the product.''
Another is practicality. Gasoline-powered cars refitted with electric parts cost about twice their original sticker price, if not more, McConvey said. Also, most electric cars on the market are charged with heavy-duty extension cords, a process that takes 10 to 12 hours. A typical charge lasts 70 miles to 90 miles, he said.
But the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, he said. Electric cars have no emissions, which cuts down on air pollution.
They're more efficient for city driving because they recharge themselves each time the driver takes his foot off the accelerator to slow down, McConvey said.
It would cost only 40 cents to 50 cents to charge a car fully. For large fleets, he said, electric cars could be operated for about $1 per 200 miles, compared with about $1 for a gallon of gas for every 25 miles for traditional cars.
Furthermore, McConvey said, improved technology is beginning to knock out some of the glitches. A system using a large paddle and a magnetic field can charge vehicles - even large ones - in five to eight minutes.
McConvey said he doesn't envision electric cars completely replacing gasoline-powered ones. He believes families eventually will own both types - electric for city driving, where it's most effective, and gasoline for highway driving, where it is most efficient.
His family is convinced. He and his wife use his Virginia Power car for errands around town. If he uses his gas-powered car on short trips, his kids accuse him of wasting gas and polluting the air unnecessarily.
``The kids are going to be the ones demanding this,'' he said.
Kids are a popular target for companies promoting electric power. They tend to be enthusiastic about environmental issues. Grand prix participants are no exception.
``It's what the future is,'' said Brian S. Irby, 18, a junior at Granby High in Norfolk and an electronics student at the technical center. ``This is where it's going to be in 10 years.''
This is the second year the Norfolk team has competed in the Richmond race. Last year the team was like Chesapeake, rushing to complete its powder-blue-and-white pickup truck by race time.
The truck, donated by the school system, was nearly rusted out. Students and teachers had to repair the body and outfit the innards for electric power.
When they got to the race, the motor blew up.
They spent this year rebuilding, modifying the design so that it would not overheat, dropping some weight off the truck and reworking the battery system.
The goal was to give the pickup enough power for at least 30 laps - the winning team last year did 32 without recharging - and avoid using up its energy at the start.
``It's kind of like the race is given to the tortoise, not to the swift,'' said Dennis R. Freeman Sr., an electronics teacher at the Norfolk technical center.
While the Chesapeake team is thrilled just to make it to the competition, the Norfolk team is ready to win it all.
``We're aiming for the stars,'' Freeman said. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Norfolk Technical Vocational Center team member Avery Jones, left,
and instructor Dennis Freeman work on their electric pickup.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS
Technical inspector Tom Huettl, left, talks with Chesapeake Center
for Science and Technology race crew members, while driver Allan
Drew, center, and crew chief Don Berry await the outcome of the
inspection of their electric Volkswagen. The car is to be entered
into a race Saturday.
Brian Irby is the captain of the Norfolk Technical Vocational Center
crew.
by CNB