Thursday, Aug. 12 at 11 a.m.
What:
Be among the first to check out BYU’s new electric streamliner before it travels to Bonneville Speed Week this weekend to attempt a new world land speed record. Photograph it, get behind the wheel, listen to the alien purr of the motor powered by 880 lithium ion batteries, and look under the lightweight carbon fiber body of the racer capable of reaching speeds of 180 mph. (A streamliner is a long, skinny vehicle with enclosed wheels.)
Why:
Because of the difficulty of creating fast E-1 vehicles — the class of electric cars that weigh less than 1,100 pounds — BYU’s car will be the first in the E-1 class to set a world speed record if all goes well. BYU’s electric blue streamliner, or “E Blue” to the project team, will attempt the record Monday and Tuesday as part of Bonneville Speed Week held at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Speed Week is an annual, weeklong event of hot rods, streamliners, motorcycles and other vehicles that race in an effort to break existing world records.
Who:
Perry Carter, associate professor in BYU’s School of Technology and six-year lead on the project, and several students who designed and built the car will take questions and discuss the innovations they used build such a fast but lightweight electric vehicle. A team of more than 100 graduate and undergraduate students spent six years designing and building the car. The students come from a variety of majors, and almost all were unpaid.
When:
Thursday, August 12, at 11 a.m.
Where:
The workshop is in room 170 of the Harvey L. Fletcher Building. Parking is available at the visitor parking lot east of the Ernest L. Wilkinson Student Center. From the parking lot, walk west on 1060 north. The Fletcher building will be up the hill on your left. The Fletcher building can also be found on BYU’s online map at map.byu.edu (building 33). Come to the building’s main entrance, on the center of its north side, and a guide will show you to the workshop.
Contact:
Michael Smart, BYU media relations manager
(801) 422-7320, office or (801) 372-4011, cell
Writer: Jordon Trebas
