High school participates in electric vehicle challenge

By Rob Vogt
The third time was the charm for Willow Creek Composite High School as they brought home first, second and third place finishes in a unique electric vehicle challenge.
Every year, Edison Motors, of Merritt, B.C, puts on a competition for high schools that has each school build an electric go-kart.
This year’s competition culminated in an event in Golden, B.C. on June 5 that saw 20 schools compete in a series of challenges.
The team, made up of Job Brobbel; Seth Brobbel; Finn Buhmiller; and Colby Symens, and teacher Mark Oakes, won the offroad event; took second in the high speed track event; and finished third in the motocross track event.
“We did well,” Oakes said. “I was happy about the outcome.”
High schools were provided with key parts to the build: a driver’s seat and seat belts; brake and steering system components; and an electric motor, batteries, system controller, and display.
However, they didn’t know the components in advance.
Until they did, Oakes and the students got together and determined a design.
“We tried to design something that worked in multiple scenarios,” he said.
This year, the competition moved from Merritt, B.C. to a facility outside Golden to land owned by Edison Motors.
They built three courses for the event, making it bigger and better – and more taxing on the equipment.
More than 200 people turned out to watch teams compete in a series of four events, with all four members of the team taking turns driving.
Those events were:
• Offroad obstacle course;
• High speed track;
• Motocross track;
• Log pull.
Oakes said the students learned a variety of skills they needed in the project including chassis design and engineering; steering design; suspension design; electric engineering; motor controls; thermodynamics; TIG welding; tube fabrication; and more.
“They designed and built an electric vehicle from scratch with nothing essentially,” Oakes said.
“They did an incredible job,” he later added. “I was super lucky to work with the students we had.
“The amount of time they put in after school is staggering.”
This was the third year that Willow Creek Composite High School students competed in the Edison High School EV Challenge.
The first year, and even last year, Oakes was involved in a lot of decisions.
This year, the students pretty much had the frame designed and built before Oakes got involved.
“They knew enough to make some really good decisions,” he said. “It was a huge part of the students on their own.”
Oakes emphasized it was the students’ project.
“That’s what I wanted,” he said, observing there was so much growth in student learning because of that.
Also, with more input, it made for a better product.
Moreover, it was a team effort.
“The more advanced students were helping the students just coming in,” Oakes said.
The event took place on June 5, the same day as the graduation ceremony at Willow Creek Composite High School.
Although the Claresholm students missed their grad, organizers of the Edison High School EV Challenge celebrated the graduating students Seth Brobbel, Finn Buhmiller, and Colby Symens.
Oakes said he is sad to see the graduating students go.
Now, the school turns its attention to next year, when they plan on entering again.
He noted students in junior high are already looking forward to it.
“We’ll train up the next generation now,” Oakes said.
For anyone who wants to see the go-kart, Oakes is entering it in the Fair Days parade on Aug. 8.
He is also in the process of trying to secure approval to give rides during Fair Days weekend.
More details will be forthcoming.