Everett Community College Students to Compete in Electric Car Race Next Week

Members of the EvCC engineering team prepare for their first Electrathon America race March 17 in Gresham, Ore. Driver Adam Remesnik is joined by (from left) Megan Carlson (wife of Kyle Carlson); EvCC Electrathon team members Kyle Carlson, Jason Bisenius, Jason Kurtz, Phillipe Raymond, Natalie Young and Kimberly Sangwin; and EvCC engineering instructor Xiaopeng Bi.

Everett Community College engineering students will compete in a regional Electrathon America race May 26-27 in Portland, Ore. with an electric car they designed and built.

Students in EvCC’s engineering project class and engineering club have worked since September to create the one-person car. They designed and fabricated every part except the wheels, motor, battery and steering wheel.
“The best part is seeing it come together, off the computer screen and into real life,” team captain Jason Kurtz said.

The EvCC team successfully completed its first race March 17 in Gresham, Ore. Since then, they have adjusted the gear ratio, reprogrammed the throttle curve in the motor controller and almost finished creating the fiberglass body.
The team improved its race distance by 25 percent in its second race May 5 in Lacey, Wash., despite getting in a minor collision and finishing with a bent wheel.

In Electrathon races, the goal is to drive as far as possible in one hour, using limited electrical energy. The vehicles are lightweight, aerodynamic, highly efficient, and must meet design and safety requirements.
Team members include: Andrew Bailey, Jason Bisenius, Kevin Bumgarner, Kyle Carlson, Jason Kurtz, Nhatanh Le, Vananh Le, Robert Moriarty, Phillipe Raymond, Adam Remesnik, Kimberly Sangwin, Chris Sansbury, Thao Tran and Natalie Young.

Students worked on the project with guidance from EvCC engineering instructor Xiaopeng Bi. They worked with EvCC welding students, who welded parts of the frame, and EvCC graphic design students Beckie French and Kevin Osborn, who created the body art.

The team received materials and support from many sponsors, including: Aerospace Defense Inc., Calsak Plastics in Kent, Conrad Manufacturing in Auburn, DS SolidWorks Corporation, Everett Steel, Pacific Power Batteries in Everett, Quality Plus Insulation in Marysville and Sunbacker Fiberglass Inc. in Monroe. Throughout this project, the students have used equipment such as a 3D printer and materials testing machine that were purchased using funds donated by The Boeing Company.