Hybrid Car Review

As a follow up to an earlier story I had on the group of high school kids who built a car and won the Tor de Sol last year, I am including their press release for entering this year's race. Last year, they took a K-1 kit, an old Accord, and some soybean oil (along with some donated parts and money) and built a car that goes from 0 to 60 in 4 seconds and gets 50 mpg. While it may smell like french fries when you start it up, there's nothing lost in this car.

PHILADELPHIA, May 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Supporters of the Electric Vehicle Team of West Philadelphia High School's Academy of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering (WPHSAAME) will gather on Tuesday afternoon to wish the students success in this week's Tour de Sol. The Tour de Sol is the nation's oldest and most prestigious competition for alternative fuel vehicles, now in its 18th year. The race is being held in Saratoga Springs, NY and begins on Wednesday with technical testing of vehicles.

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Last year, the team from West Philadelphia High School won the Tour de Sol defeating not only colleges and universities, but production vehicles from Toyota and Honda. Their vehicle, the Hybrid Attack, was the greenest vehicle in the competition.

The competition will again be fierce. This year besides the usual array of colleges, universities and manufacturers there will be a team from Delhi College, the premier engineering school of India. Also in the competition will be West's closest competitor, Western Washington University, which will be sending two (2) vehicles.

"At a time when the price of gas is over $3.00 a gallon, building a vehicle that gets great mileage and runs on soybean oil is a great educational experience," said Simon Hauger, the Team's mentor.

The students and staff at West have been working very hard to prepare for the race. Supporters including AFSCME District Council 33, and others from the labor and business communities will be gathering at the West Philadelphia High School's Academy of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering at 221 South Hanson Street at 3:00 PM on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 to cheer the Team on as they get ready to once again take on the challenge of building the greenest vehicle.

The team members are students Calvin Cheesboro, Joe Pak, Tyson Drummond, Tysheema Lovett, Kerri Gabe, Nkosi Harmon, Bruce Harmon, Kevin McKnight, Victor Webster and Tete Occannsey, along with teachers Simon Hauger, Clayton Kinsler and Ron Preiss.

For more information about the Tour de Sol visit the website of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (http://nesea.org)

The WPHSAAME is a program of the School District of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Academies, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides services in dozens of public high schools and middle schools. For more information about Philadelphia Academies visit their website at http://AcademiesInc.org.

The work of the WPHSAAME is supported by its Board of Governors and business partners: AFSCME D. C. 33, AAA Mid-Atlantic, Central City Toyota, City of Philadelphia Office of Fleet Management, Community College of Philadelphia, Gary Barbera Dodgeland, Haines Street Collex, Meissner Chevrolet, Mitchell 1, the Philadelphia Parking Authority, the Philadelphia School District, Pep Boys, Sunoco, Inc., Subaru of America and the University of Pennsylvania.


Source: AFSCME District Council 33