Niagara College’s innovative spirit shines as students work to convert a gas-powered truck to electric.
While electric vehicles (EV’s) grow in popularity, few auto shops in Canada have the expertise to convert gas-powered vehicles to electric power.
The process is timely, difficult, and cost-prohibitive.
But that’s not stopping Niagara College’s School of Trades.
This spring, students in the Motive Power Technician (Co-Op) program will breathe new life into an old truck to enhance their learning in the Green Automotive Technology Lab.
NC’s Dream Big Fund has enabled the purchase of an electric vehicle (EV) conversion kit to transform a 1979 Chevy pick-up with gasoline engine into a working electric vehicle.
This cross-discipline project will benefit Motive Power students through course integration as well as those from other trades programs through the Trades Student Club. Students in the Broadcasting, Radio, Television and Film program will document each step of the process.
Motive Power Technologist Andrew Troyan says that students are very eager to work on the project.
“It is nice to see the excitement in the students asking to be involved, taking part in the process, and offering ideas,” says Troyan, who explains that the EV truck conversion is an opportunity to work on tasks in real-time and troubleshoot common issues. “There are rusted, seized, and broken fasteners [on the truck] that we see in the automotive trade regularly. The vehicles in the lab do not have the same problems as they have been taken apart many times.”
As the automotive industry continues to evolve, this project will enrich students’ academic experience by giving them a unique, hands-on learning opportunity on the electric vehicles which are expected to dominate the roads – and automotive careers – of the future. Electric vehicle conversion is relatively new to the industry, giving students a one-of-a-kind learning opportunity and expanding the capacity in the lab.
The converted truck will be used for events and incorporated into the curriculum for AUTO1271 Trends in Automotive Technology.
Stay tuned for more on this exciting project.