Students at Scotia-Glenville High School found hands-on learning meant putting their hands on the steering wheels of some of the latest, most advanced rides on the market.
Scotia-Glenville students in Rick Warren’s 12th-grade English class went from researching alternative fuel motor vehicles to seeing four models up close on Friday, Dec. 7. The chilly morning air was no match for the excitement of students hopping from the cabin of one car to another. Students took turns driving the different vehicles as employees from local dealerships gave a breakdown of the features and sat as co-pilot for the ride.
“The class is truly about how to research,” Warren said. “At first they actually researched larger vehicles … and we moved on to passenger cars.”
After PowerPoint presentations and papers, students took to the vehicles themselves, which included a Chevrolet Volt, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Honda Civic Hybrid and Ford C-Max Hybrid. Warren said capturing students’ interest with the actual cars helps spur their desire to learn about alternative energy.
Although it is only a one semester course, or half-year class, Warren said he tries to pack in as much as possible.
“After we are done with this, we are going into lots of alternative energy research beyond vehicles,” Warren said. “To me, this is where the economy is headed, and as seniors, this is where they are going to find work.”
Connor Sullivan-Irwin, 17, drove the i-MiEV, provided by Goldstein Mitsubishi, which is an all-electric powered car. You won’t find any exhaust pipes on the small ride, which gets up to about 110 miles per charge.
“It was awesome,” Sullivan-Irwin said. “It was a really smooth ride.”
The i-MiEV is smaller than most cars, but he said it was still spacious on the inside. Though he didn’t get to open it up, the car can go from stopped to 80 miles per hour in 10 seconds, and do it much more quietly than gas-powered vehicles.
“We turned on the car and it just beeped,” he said.
Justin DeHart, 17, drove the C-Max, provided by Metro Ford, and said it is was also a smooth drive, with some “really good” brakes. He said there were a lot of gadgets in the car, such as voice controls.
“It is a lot smoother than a regular gasoline engine,” he added.
When asked if he would buy a C-Max, DeHart replied, ““Heck yeah,” but the $28,000 sticker could prove to be a barrier.
Ian Hunter, 18, drove the Volt, provided by Mangino Chevrolet in Amsterdam, and said it was a “fun ride.”
“It has just really sensitive acceleration … and a really short charge time, so it seems like a viable option for a car to own on a daily basis,” Hunter said.
The i-MiEV had a charge time of 22 hours, which Hunter saw as a bit of a drawback. The Volt required eight hours on 120 volts and four hours using 240 volts.
Hunter added he has enjoyed that the course has focused on alternative energy.
“There has just been a big focus on the environment,” he said. “It is really interesting. I am learning a lot I didn’t know.”