Recently, three students at Seaquam Secondary competed in the inaugural Edison Motors EV Challenge in Merritt, which involved designing, building and then racing a go-kart. Congratulations to Shaan, Avery and Theo who placed second in the challenge, which involved approximately 20 teams from other high schools in BC.
Edison Motors, a new company that is building hybrid diesel electric semi-trucks, wanted to raise interest in electric vehicles and decided to sponsor a high school challenge where schools are provided with a kit with parts to build a go kart. Students had to design and build the frame, and use the electric motor and batteries provided to power it.
"Shaan, Avery and Theo formed the Seaquam Car Club and worked really hard after school a couple of days a week to complete the project," said Automotive teacher Gord Ryall. "We were originally informed that the race would be on a paved track, so the students based their design on that premise. Later we found out it would be an off-road event which meant their design was not ideal for the course. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to redesign and build, which makes their success in Merritt even more impressive."
The event consisted of various races:
- A tractor pull where the go-karts had to tow a weighted-down trailer
- An off-road course with big bumps and dips
- A barrel race that was a figure of 8 track
- A high-speed gravel track with a series of cones and corners for the go karts to race through
Seaquam's Car Club won the barrel race and the tractor pull with the fastest times and finished in the top ten for the offroad course, even with a go-kart designed for a paved track!
"Overall, it was a super fun experience, and everyone had a great time," said Gord. "Next year, we'll get students in the Metalwork, Engineering, Drafting and Automotive programs involved in the Car Club as all of these skills are used in the challenge."
