Students of Laurier and Waterloo take on a great challenge as consumer habits shift to electric cars
Walking around the Stone Road Mall in Guelph, you might see a sign that says, “Recharge your electric vehicle free while you shop!” – finally, we are seeing a shift from gas guzzling vehicles to a more elegant breed of vehicles run by electricity. The elegance of no spills at the pump leaving your hands stained and smelling of pure gasoline; the elegance of no exhaust puking out fumes; and the elegance of an almost noiseless vehicle making our roads more enjoyable.
The market for electric cars continues to grow and the prices continue to decline as mass production takes its economic toll. The growing interest in electric cars as an alternative to gas vehicles is exactly why students from Wilfred Laurier and the University of Waterloo have taken it upon themselves to transform a typical gasoline powered vehicle into one run by electricity – and the car of choice is a Chevrolet Malibu.
You may have seen this car before, as it is a highly standard make in Canada which gets around 450 kilometres per tank of gas. Once these students are done with the Malibu, it will be running on mostly electricity.
The team chosen to assemble the vehicle is comprised of about 20 engineering students, each of whom has an important role in the building and transformation process of the vehicle. The team is referred to as the University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team (UWAFT). Why do this you ask? They are competing in EcoCar2, a North American wide competition comprised of 13 schools, where only two of which are from Canada (the other Canadian school being the University of Victoria in British Columbia).
Any team who can transform a gas car into a car run by electricity is a winner in my books. Although winning would be nice, the students involved have another noble motive for this project: to promote electric vehicles in Canada.
What better way to promote electric cars than to get bright young students and future designers of our country interested in this green initiative? Global warming is an undoubted fact, and it is solutions like the electric car that will allow our consumerist habits to continue in a less harmful way. Technology is changing, and it is up to consumers to make sure technology is changing in the right way. Demand sustainable production methods and products by buying responsibly, and future Guelphites will thank you (and so will your gas bills).
Next time you’re in the market for a car, you know what decision is the right decision: the elegance of no gas pumps and oil stains in your driveway; the elegance of free charging stations while you shop (hopefully for sustainable goods). Choose the electric car and help not only yourself in the long run, but all of us.
To the members of UWAFT, although we may rival you and your school in many realms, we support you in this mission you have set out on.