 Established in 1993, the EV Challenge has grown to become the largest high school and middle school academic electric vehicle competition in the United States. Earlier this month, students from four states and thirty schools converged near Raleigh, NC to compete in the event.
Team entries are placed in one of three vehicle classes and are judged by several metrics including vehicle design, range, autocross performance,  oral presentations, website, troubleshooting, and school initiative.
This year Hampstead, North Carolina's Topsail High School lived up to their slogan of "KICKNGAS" and earned both 1st and 2nd place in the overall standings with two vehicles: A '92 Toyota Paseo and a '96 Ford Ranger.
The sprightly '92 Toyota Paseo, pictured above, placed 1st in the modified car design category. Energy storage is provided by thirteen 12V Trojan 30XHS batteries for a system voltage of 156V. The 9" ADC motor makes big torque thanks to a DCP Raptor 1200A controller. The design implements a clutch-less transmission to reduce spun weight, and the car has a top speed of 100+ mph and a usable range of 75mi @ 35mph. Sweet!
Topsail's beautiful '96 Ranger took home 2nd place overall and 1st place in the truck design category. It is powered by a 9" ADC motor and a 96V pack of beefy Trojan T-145 batteries. Motor control is maintained by a 96V 500A Zapi controller. This truck also had clutch-less design. It has a top speed of 75 mph and a usable range of 80 miles @45mph.
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Overall Winners in High School Division
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3rd Place Overall
Monongalia County Technical Education Center of Morgantown, West Virginia did great with their snazzy '93 Mazda MX3. The 'Trons are stored in 13 NAPA Orbital 12V batteries for a peppy 156V system. The motor is an ADC 9" spun up by a DCP Raptor 600 with a clutch-less design.
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4th Place Overall
Henderson, NC was represented in the winner's circle thanks to Northern Vance High School's S-10. It nailed 4th place to the wall with 96V and a 23Hp GE fork lift motor. A Raptor 600 supplied control while the electricity rushed from 16 chunky Trojan T-145 batteries. Top speed: 70 mph. Range: 80 miles @ 35-45 mph.
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5th Place Overall
The Monongalia County Technical Education Center took home 5th with their '91 Ford Ranger XLT, which runs at 96V using sixteen 6V Trojans, a 9" ADC, and a DCP Raptor 600 controller and a clutch-less transmission.
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High School Individual 1st Place Winners by Category
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Car Autocross
Wake Forest/Rolesville High School's Shockwave took 1st place for the car-class autocross. The car ran 18.453 seconds with a 156V pack of Optima Yellow Tops, a DCP 1200A Raptor controller, and a 5 speed manual transmission. A Manzanita Micro PFC-20 charger "fed the lead" for race time. |
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Truck Autocross
Lincoln County School of Technology took 1st place in the truck autocross after a 19.942 run with their Ford Ranger. Quick! |
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Modified Autocross
In 16.896 seconds Future Shock was the quickest autocross car at the event. This baby spanked the competition with 13 Optima model 34 yellow tops, a 9" DC motor, and a 1200A DCP Raptor controller.
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Best Car Design
The oh-so-gorgeous Crimson Shocker, Southern Durham's '93 Ford Probe entry, uses an ADC 9", Curtis 1231 controller, and 12 8V Trojans for a system voltage of 96V nominal. Top speed: 85mph. Actual range: 44 miles. Total fun: Unlimited!
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Car Range
Northern Vance High School's EXP avoided the outlet tether for 63.9 miles. Great job!
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Truck Range
Western Harnett's Blue Thunder evaded the range police for 55.1 miles. The base vehicle is a Chevy S10. The main components are an ADC 9" motor, a Curtis 1231 controller, and Trojan T-145 batteries. |
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Modified Range
The coolest Escort ever! The one and only Shocker III from Northampton-East High School destroyed the competition with a 79.4 mile marathon run... the best range of any car at this year's event. |
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Thursday, September 02, 2010 
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