On Thursday, April 27, a group of students from Colfax High School’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Program, along with Jonathan Schwartz (Department Chair) and Christian Kinsey, toured ClipperCreek, Inc. The tour was lead by ClipperCreek’s Stacey Barhydt, Engineering and Project Manager.
At the beginning of the tour, students were asked what they knew about electric cars; one student responded about how the torque delivery is immediate in contrast to combustion engine cars. The students broke into two groups; one group worked on an exercise to figure out how long it takes to charge an electric vehicle while the other group toured the facility and saw how the ClipperCreek’s most popular charging stations are made. Students were also shown some of the many electric vehicles located on the facility which are driven by ClipperCreek employees including the second generation Chevy Volt, a Chevy Bolt, several first generation Chevy Volts, a Chevy Spark, a Tesla Model S P90D, and a Toyota Rav4 EV. The students were especially excited to see the rare Tesla Roadster – a collectible for Tesla enthusiasts nationwide.
Students observed how charging stations work and how safe they are. By the end of the tour, for those students who thought that EVs were not very practical or hadn’t even given an EV a thought were now considering how an electric vehicle might actually fit into their everyday lives.
One student asked, “Does the electric car lose its charge if left sitting for a period of time without being plugged in?” We thought others would like to know as well, so here’s a link that might be helpful in answering your question: http://www.plugincars.com/eight-tips-extend-battery-life-your-electric-car-107938.html