A group of local students focused on hands-on engineering have received a $10,000 grant that will help take them to an international competition.
The students are part of the Advanced Vehicle Technologies Program at Dudley High School in Greensboro. AVT is a little like auto shop class, but the parts used are recycled (think aluminum from walkers and a Dunkin Donuts sign) and the car is super efficient.
This year, students are crafting three vehicles. One is a battery electric car, another uses an experimental fuel made of compressed natural gas. The third is a car that runs on 100% ethanol fuel.
Ricky Lewis is the AVT advisor. He says he started the program to combat students' boredom in school and open them up to career possibilities in engineering. “These kids are innovators, they like doing things," he says. "They like building things. And we can get them hooked on that; we can see them grow and be successful.”
It's Joanna Zieglar's second year on the AVT team.
“We are going to shoot for making it to 1,000 miles per gallon,” she says.
The cars will get a true test in April when they'll be driven in competition at the Shell Eco-Marathon in Detroit.