Test drive for electric car plugged into the wall


A group of students from a vocational high school in the Mediterranean province of Antalya succeeded in transforming a car into one that runs on electricity, with the only caveat that it needs to be plugged into an electric socket.

Bahtılı Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School students, guided by their teacher Eyüp Karagül, began a project to create a vehicle that ran on electricity. The group was given a decrepit official car that ran on normal gas. A 5.5-kilowatt electric motor was installed and connected to the car's mechanical gear. The car was connected to a socket with several extension cords. The students said their next objective was to use solar panels to run the car.

17-year-old Hatice Erdem said it was her dream to learn about motors and cars and added that she enjoyed the project immensely. The teacher, Karagül, said the team had designed and built the electric motor. "The control and the storing of electricity are time consuming and expensive processes. If we receive grants, we will be able to build a motor without the need for all these cables. We will use solar panels to run the motor." He said it was a significant achievement for a group of students from a rural high school to complete this project.