GM Donates EV1 to Michigan Tech
One of the most significant
vehicles of the 20th century has rolled out of a semi and onto a parking
lot at the Harold Meese Center.
Michigan Tech is among 40 universities
and museums nationwide to receive an EV1 from General Motors through its
GM EV1 Research Donation Program. As its name suggests, the EV1 is an
electric vehicle, but it is far more than a battery-powered car.
The EV1 was produced with a
host of innovations and was awarded 23 patents for its advanced features.
While it's no longer being marketed, it is still the most energy-efficient
vehicle ever to be mass-produced.
This first modern-day, state-of-the-art
electric vehicle represents breakthrough engineering, using technologies
from areas such as military research and aerospace.
The donated EV1s do not include
the vehicle's standard 1,310-pound battery pack. General Motors' primary
objective in donating EV1s to museums and universities is to encourage
continued education, R&D of advanced technology and environmentally
sustainable transportation systems.
Kevin Geshel, director of corporate
development, says the EV1 will have an intrinsic appeal to students.
"While the primary job
of engineering students is to learn the fundamentals, it's the application
that students usually find the most interesting," he said. "If
Michigan Tech engineering students have a passion, it's usually for the
car, the plane or the engine, not the equations."
Jay Meldrum, director of the
Keweenaw Research Center, helped run tests on the EV1 several years ago,
before coming to the University.
"It's the first American-made
electric vehicle, and it has a whole bunch of cool technologies in it,"
he said.
The EV1 should be of interest
to materials researchers at the University as well as mechanical and electrical
engineers. The body is made out of aluminum, with space-age adhesives
and rivets, "so it's very light yet very strong," Meldrum said.
Like GM's Saturn, the EV1 has plastic body panels designed to bounce back
from minor impacts. "You could walk up to a body panel, hit it with
a hammer, and no one would ever know it had been hit."
It is also the most aerodynamic
vehicle ever to be mass produced, thanks to a tear-drop design in which
the rear wheelbase is narrower than the front. Its tires are designed
to be inflated to 50 psi, almost as much pressure as a bicycle tire, and
they repair themselves if they are ever punctured.
Michigan Tech plans to use
the EV1 as the basis for a team learning project, and may eventually put
it on display in the lobby of the R. L. Smith Mechanical Engineering-Engineering
Mechanics Building.
As Michigan Tech received its
EV1, the General Motors Foundation also presented a check for $200,000
to support a variety of programs, ranging from student labs to diversity
enhancement.
