May 22, 2013
Racing to the future
Public is invited to watch the action as high school teams race their electric vehicles at the University of Waterloo
The public is invited to watch high schools teams, who have designed and built their own electric vehicles, race at the University of Waterloo’s Toyota High School Electric Vehicle Challenge on Saturday.
“The EV Challenge is a great opportunity for us to engage the community,” says Peter Teertstra, director of the Faculty of Engineering’s Student Design Centre (SDC). “We get to show off our facilities and highlight Waterloo Engineering’s research strengths, all while inspiring future engineers.”The event runs from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday May 25 with races at 11 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. The challenge is organized by the SDC along with the Faculty of Engineering’s Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR) and Waterloo Engineering Outreach.
After tuning up their vehicles in the SDC’s open workspace, seven teams will compete in two races with cars powered by 12-Volt automotive batteries. The races will happen on a temporary track built around two engineering buildings on campus. The track runs adjacent to Engineering 5 and completely around Engineering 6. The teams will also compete for best overall vehicle design.
Get Involved
Now in its second year, the EV Challenge has gained title sponsorship from Toyota and a digital lap-counting system that senses when cars cross the start/finish line. Other Waterloo student teams will also be involved in the challenge. Waterloo Hybrid, a team involved in designing, building and competing hybrid-electric vehicles, will drive their vehicle as the official pace car. Concrete Toboggan, another team that competes in races, will be hosting a fundraising barbecue.
An awards ceremony will be held at 3:30pm. Free parking is available in Lot B, accessible from Columbia and Phillip streets. The EV Challenge is entirely volunteer-driven, with participation from Waterloo faculty, staff, and students. People interested in contributing to the event can contact Paula Petrie in the Student Design Centre.
For more information, visit the Student Design Centre.
