I.E.Weldon Hosts Electric Vehicle Challenge!

Kawartha Lakes Mums: I.E. Weldon Wild Wheels hosts their 2nd Annual Electric Vehicle Challenge!

Saturday, May 11, 2012, I.E. Weldon Wild Wheels hosts their 2nd Annual Electric Vehicle Challenge!

How do you encourage students to stay in school? Technology teachers who volunteer their time in Weldon' s Wild Wheels have students rushing to class after school, and even on weekends!

Technology department teachers at Weldon kindly took the time to share some insider secrets about the Weldon Wild Wheels upcoming Eco-friendly educational event with us yesterday during their lunch. The Electric Vehicle Challenge at Weldon is unique in that it is totally off-grid using solar power from the Eco-home built by students. In addition to the Electric Vehicle Challenge, an Electric Motorcycle, and the Weldon Robotics challenge entry will be demonstrated at this tech event. While the teachers generously praised student, and community involvement in the technology projects, these teachers are definitely fine examples of caring instructors who make students eager to learn, and encourage the essential love of life-long learning.

Winning Strategies Revealed

While many might think the fastest car might win this challenge, a steady pace is a key strategy.

'The Electric Vehicle Challenge at Weldon is not so much a race as a performance test' explained Dwayne Alcock I.E.Weldon Manufacturing/ Construction Teacher adding, "The goal is to accomplish as many laps as possible within the set period. The faster you go, the faster your battery can lose power. "

I.E. Weldon Secondary School's Electric Vehicle Challenge is unique in that it is totally off-grid - the only one of its kind in Ontario. Here is a brief overview of the Electric Vehicle Challenge Dwayne shared with us yesterday, despite the windy conditions.

2002 Weldon Wild Wheels Builds First Electric Car

2002 Weldon Wild Wheels, through generous community support, were able to build their first electric car. Number 24, pictured below, has gone through many modifications since it was first built including adding a real race car safety harness, and a higher bar at the back to ensure more protection in rollovers.

2010 Weldon Builds Transparent Electric Car

When Wild Wheels built their second electric car in 2010, they decided to make it transparent, so it could be used as a visual teaching tool for students. Number 42, also built with generous community support, tours Elementary schools where students learn about friction, and can see how the vehicles work.

Weldon Tech department will be in full force on Saturday with multiple demonstrations of student extracurricular projects. Students working with Transportation Teacher Alan Stanley have been retrofitting a gas powered Suzuki Motorcycle with an electric engine, and the robotics team , under the guidance of Manufacturing Teacher Marco Jetten, will demonstrate their latest Canada Skills Challenge entry as well.

"We based our electric motorcycle on gas powered bike, by taking out the motor and replacing it with a battery and circuits" shared Alan Stanley, adding "It's good to start with something that's been well engineered, like the Suzuki we're using."

Weldon's Robotics Challenge Entry Makes Final Round

Marco Jetten, who attended Weldon as a student and returned to teach Manufacturing at Weldon, shared how this year's Skills Canada Robotics Challenge Entry made it to the final round, but strength overcame agility in the final phase. We shot footage of the explanation, but technical problems have interfered with the sound track, so you will want to be sure to catch this demo in action tomorrow at Weldon.
So how do students feel about putting in time after school and weekends to work on Wild Wheels problem solving?
Check out the interview with three rural student Wild Wheels members on the Omemee Pigeon eFlyer: Rural Students Eagerly Anticipate Electric Car Challenge!l
To register your car or find out more about this exciting cross-curricular public event, be sure to see details on the I.E.Weldon: Electric Vehicle Challenge