Electric Vehicle Association at West Virginia University hold inaugural meeting

On November 2, 2009 the Electric Vehicle Association of West Virginia University (EVA-WVU) held its inaugural meeting at Engineering Sciences Building. In attendance at the meeting were over 50 students from a range of majors at the university, members of the greater Morgantown community as well as members of the Three Rivers Electric Vehicle Association. Providing television coverage for the event was News Channel 12 WBOY: http://wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=69602

The group kicked off the meeting with a presentation of various electric vehicles and bikes. Vehicles present at the display included the West Virginia University Formula Lightning electric race car, Dr. Roy Nutter's Chevrolet S10 US Electricar, Dr. Paul Brown's ZENN electric car, as well as electric motorcycles and scooters from PA Electrics.

The WVU Formula Lightning electric race car competed in the Formula Lightning Series through the mid 1990s and early 2000s. The Formula Lightning series began in 1994 featuring 15 vehicles built and raced by engineering schools from across the nation. Each vehicle shared the same body design, suspension, wheels, tires and brakes. Each university team then chose their own batteries, controller, motor and gearbox. This car uses a SAMINCO 160KW variable frequency drive and a 103 KW water cooled electric motor.

Dr. Nutter's S10 US Electricar was one of the rare factory converted electric vehicles available in the mid-late 1990s. The vehicles featured a Dolphin Controller from Hughes Corp and a 50 Horsepower three phase water cooled electric motor. The trucks were capable of a top speed of 70 mph and had a range of around 50 miles. Dr. Nutter's truck currently holds the National Electric Drag Racing Association record for the Street Production A2 class.

ZENN, Zero Emission No Noise, is a two seater electric vehicle built by the Zenn Motor Company from Quebec, Canada. The vehicles are based on the European Microcar MC2, but are converted and customized by ZENN Motor Company. The vehicles are classified as Neighborhood Electric Vehicles and are governed to a maximum speed of 25 mph. The vehicles are capable of traveling 40 miles on a single charge.

PA Electrics brought a variety of electric motorcycles and bicycles. Each two wheeled vehicle features a different electric motor and battery pack combination depending on the users' needs. Some of the vehicles are capable of going 40-50 mph with an extensive range on a single charge. The EM3500 motorcycle features a brushless motor and LiFePO4 batteries and is capable of a maximum speed of 61 mph while providing a range of over 50 miles.

Following the display guest speaker John Garlow, of Eco Structures, took to the stage to discuss the modular home systems that his organization has been developing. The modular homes built by Eco-Structures consume nearly zero energy while meeting and exceeding the platinum level LEED-H certification. The design of the homes can range from small cottage size to full size family homes. The photovoltaic roof panels provide a method to not only provide heating but also heat the water that is stored in an insulated reservoir. Further energy conservation is done using super insulated walls and roofs formed with solid polystyrene.

Following Mr. Garlow's presentation of solar and wind energy solutions, Jonathan Belak of PA Electrics and Three Rivers EVA began his talk on electric vehicles. PA Electrics provides plug-in conversion services as well as being a seller of electric bicycles, tricycles, All Terrain Vehicles, scooters and motorcycles. Belak also serves as President of Three Rivers EVA. Three Rivers EVA is currently working on converting an Austin Healey Sprite into an electric vehicle. Belak indicated that upon removing all internal combustion engine components from the vehicle it weighed a scant 500 lbs and even with the addition of dual electric motors, controller and batteries the vehicle would not exceed the factory weight.

The meeting concluded with a question and answer session that allowed the attendees to get additional information about various alternate energy solutions as well as learning more about the history and future of electric vehicles.

About EVA-WVU:

EVA-WVU is a recognized WVU Student Organization as well as being one of only two recognized Education Chapters of the Electric Auto Association nationwide. EVA-WVU is comprised of both undergraduate and graduate students from West Virginia University. The organization is open to any student at West Virginia University. Serving as faculty advisor to the group is Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Professor Dr. Roy Nutter. EVA-WVU provides an opportunity for an interdisciplinary educational experience while at the same time advancing the technology of electric vehicles through the process of designing and fielding high-performance electric vehicles.

Learn More:

EVA-WVU: http://eva.studentorgs.wvu.edu/
WVU Formula Lightning Archive Site: http://csee.wvu.edu/~formula/
Electric Auto Association: http://www.eaaev.org/
Three Rivers EVA: http://www.threeriverseva.org/
PA Electrics: http://www.paelectrics.com/
Eco Structures: http://www.eco-mod-structure.com/
Zenn Motor Company: http://www.zenncars.com/

11/05/2009