On April 24-25, the SVGS Electric Vehicle team participated in the 2015 EV Challenge held at NCCAR (North Carolina Center for Automotive Research) near Roanoke Rapids, NC.
Seniors Ailec Wu and Gus Hollberg along with juniors Emily Vollmer, Ben Lahn, Tanner Dellot-Wion and Daniel Brooks competed in various events including autocross, acceleration, range, vehicle design, oral presentation, EV jeopardy and trouble shooting. There were numerous driving opportunities and everyone had a chance to practice their skills on the track (some for the first time).
The ‘Shenandoah 1’ team, which drove the 240Z, placed as follows:
2nd in the modified division.
2nd in autocross (with Ben and rookie driver Daniel pulling with a half second of the leader on the final run of the day)
3rd in the vehicle design category
3rd in the acceleration
3rd range events
The “Shenandoah 2’ team drove the Porsche 911 performed well despite having 8 year old lead acid batteries making it 400 pounds heavier than the 240Z. New batteries and battery management systems for the Porsche,development of data acquisition systems for both cars and upgrading the 911 with a new set of wheels and tires are planned for next year.
This semester, the EV team was able to complete work on the wiring harness for the Datsun 240Z and develop a charging system for the donated lithium batteries that will replace the lead-acid batteries in the Porsche. A new battery rack for the Datsun was installed along with a plexi-glass cover for the controller. The team displayed the 240Z at the Earth Day activities in Staunton.
Shenandoah Valley Governor's School 