Twenty-four students from Kingsbury Country Day School in Addison Township got a sneak peak last week at the electrifying future of Michigan’s automotive industry.
They were among about 300 students from six schools who attended ‘The Business of Plugging In? conference hosted by General Motors and held at the Motor City Hotel and Conference Center in downtown Detroit.
‘It was really fun,? said Leonard resident Randy Pardy, a seventh-grader at Kingsbury.
GM invited these math and science students to come touch, see and learn about the growing electric vehicle industry.
‘It was really cool because not a lot of schools get to experience it,? said Oxford resident Claire Thayer, an eighth-grader at Kingsbury.
The event featured opportunities for students to experience the automobile’s electric revolution through interactive displays; talks with industry leaders and people who are developing the infrastructure that’s key to bringing electric vehicles to the market; and discussions with local university students and recent graduates working in fields such as hybrid and electric vehicle development.
‘The presenters talked to the students as if they were adults,? said Annette Young, who teaches science to Kingsbury’s sixth-through-eighth-grade classes. ‘They respected them and asked great questions of the kids. It was a really good experience for them.?
Young said the students learned about all the factors that go into designing electric vehicles including the lifestyle adjustments that society will need to make such as having special garages and plug-in stations to keep vehicles charged.
‘They were very focused, interested and excited to learn something new,? she said.
‘I actually learned a lot more about electric cars than I already knew,? Thayer said. ‘I learned they have plug-in stations at some parking lots. I didn’t know that.?
‘I learned how many batteries it takes to power an electric car,? said Joey Files, a Kingsbury seventh-grader from Lake Orion. ‘For the Chevy Volt, it takes like 400 pounds of (lithium ion) batteries to make the car go 40 miles on pure electricity.?
Students were very excited about getting the opportunity to view the new Chevy Volt, an electric car not slated to hit the market until November 2010.
‘I thought it was very cool to see all the stuff about the new Volt,? said Ortonville resident Kaley Rosczewski, a sixth-grader at Kingsbury. ‘I learned how you charge the cars.?
?(The Volt’s) supposed to go really fast and I think it will be a really good seller when it comes out,? Thayer said.
A few of the students are even thinking about someday having careers involving electric vehicles. ‘I’d like to work on designing them,? Pardy said.
Rosczewski indicated she’d like to be involved in engineering these vehicles of the future. ‘It was all pretty much interesting for me,? she said.