Utah Schools Compete in Electric Car Races

The Governor's Office of Energy Development (OED) and the Utah State University STARS! GEAR UP program invite everyone to see single-seat electric cars built by local students compete in the 2019 Utah Greenpower Electric Car Challenge. This year, 24 teams from 19 schools in Utah and Nevada will race at the Utah Motorsports Campus on April 25.

Utah’s Greenpower Electric Car Challenge is an annual event, entering its fifth year, that brings students together to race a car that their team designed and built. Teams start with either car kits or cars modified from previous years to improve the look or performance.

Racing is only part of the competition. Teams are scored on the number of continuous laps made, with extra points awarded for cars competing in the fastest lap and a video presentation. The winner is chosen based on overall score. Greenpower electric car challenges take place all over the country, and the world, promoting engineering and technology skills in students ages of 9 to 25.

This year has a mix of new and experienced teams. Gunnison Valley Middle School’s “GVMS Flyers,” a two-time winner, has added a newly-designed fiberglass hood. The “Logan High Grizzlies” team will be sporting a new axle, and Mt. Logan Middle School’s “Team Viper” says that their new fiberglass body will improve both the look and performance of their car. 

“She ain't pretty, but she runs,” said “Team Karen,” a group from Manti High School who have raced for the past five years. Named after the cougar in the movie “Talladega Nights,” Karen has raced both backward and forward, and even out of state on the Indy 500 track. Another five-year veteran, North Sanpete High School’s “Tow Mater” team has made this year’s car their own. With a removable windshield, a new nose cone and updated sheet metal body, their car ought to be both pretty and fast.

Kevin Brooks, OED renewable energy specialist, said that “OED has been a proud supporter of the Greenpower Electric Car Challenge since 2017. During this time OED has sponsored seven new schools to create teams and participate in the Greenpower Invitational held each spring and looks forward to continuing to support this unique challenge inspiring Utah's students to design, build and race an electric car."

The USU STARS! program is part of the School of Teacher Education and Leadership in the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services at USU. USU STARS! GEAR UP is a federal grant-funded student program that partners with participating schools in central and northern Utah, and Nevada. 

This event is co-sponsored by the OED, with a shared goal of recognizing the importance of workforce development programs supporting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Other support for this event comes from USU’s College of Engineering--Sustainable Electrified Transportation Center, and GreenpowerUSA.