Students in three programs on Southeast Community College’s Milford Campus got an up-close and personal look Tuesday at the Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle manufactured by General Motors.
Students in Automotive Technology, the General Motors Automotive Service Educational Program and Energy Generation Operations inspected the vehicle, which was brought to campus by the Nebraska Public Power District through its partnership with GM and the Electric Power Research Institute. The purpose was to allow students to evaluate the real-world performance of the Volt.
Craig Vincent, NPPD account manager in York, contacted SCC-Milford Automotive Technology Program Chair Rick Morphew and asked if SCC students would be interested in seeing and learning about the Volt. The vehicle inspected by SCC students has 12,000 miles on it.
“The students were very interested in hearing about and seeing this new technology,” said Kevin Uhler, SCC Automotive Technology instructor. “We have heard about it but not had the opportunity to put our hands on one. Many of the students had good questions about the car and its technology.”
The Volt has been on sale in the U.S. market since mid-December 2010. It is an electric-propelled vehicle with a gasoline-powered generator that is used when needed. It is capable of traveling approximately 35 miles off of pure electric power. It can be charged by a typical 120-volt household plug. A special 240-volt outlet is available to speed charge time.
Uhler said SCC was not planning to add a Volt to its programs at this time.
“There are 64 cars nationwide in this program that were purchased for data collection and research on electric vehicles in many different operating environments across the nation,” Uhler said. “This data is transmitted to the Electric Power Research Institute via OnStar.”
NPPD officials shared information on the Volt with SCC students, including a description of the power generated by the battery, the dashboard, statistics on the efficiency of the vehicle, and the Volt’s powertrain.
The two-year demonstration project is working to ensure safe and convenient electric vehicle charging, raise public awareness and understanding of plug-in electric vehicles, help public policy leaders plan the transition from petroleum to electricity as a fuel source, and assist electric utilities in determining those needs to support charging of the vehicles.