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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Engineering students at Vanderbilt received one of the world’s most energy-efficient production automobiles as General Motors presented the School of Engineering with an electric EV-1 car recently.
The zero-emissions automobile is not at risk of being taken for joy-rides, however. The battery pack has been removed. The donation is strictly for educational and research purposes.
The all-electric EV-1 made history in 1996 as the first consumer-marketed electric car. With an estimated range of 79 miles of combined city/highway driving and requiring only two-three hours to recharge, the EV-1 is capable of accelerating 0-60 mph in under 8.5 seconds.
"The EV-1 is technologically significant in a number of ways and will be a valued teaching tool for our faculty," Vanderbilt School of Engineering Dean Kenneth F. Galloway said during the donation ceremony held Friday, Nov. 7, at the School’s Adams Atrium in Featheringill Hall. He said that the car could be used by professors teaching a variety of mechanical engineering and design courses to illustrate engineering innovation and problem-solving.
Mark Reuss, executive director of GM architectural engineering and the GM Performance Division, gave an overview of the car’s technical achievements and noted that solving the engineering challenges had resulted in 23 patents for the automobile. Reuss is a Vanderbilt alumnus and a member of the School of Engineering’s Committee of Visitors, an advisory board.
Reuss said, "GM is proud to donate one of our rolling engineering laboratories, the EV-1, to an outstanding engineering program at Vanderbilt to further the studies of the young engineers that will shape our world of transportation in the future."
Media contact: David Salisbury, (615) 343-6803
David.f.Salisbury@vanderbilt.edu