The students in the automotive technology class at Bothell High School built an electric drag racing car outfitted with an AC motor.
From Kristen Abel’s article on The Woodinville Weekly website:
According to Pat McCue, Bothell High School’s automotive teacher, there are only two AC-powered 800-volt drag racing cars in the world.
One of them is in Sweden. The other is in Bothell. But what’s even more remarkable than the car’s rarity is the team that built it. The car was assembled by the high school students in McCue’s automotive technology class.
“We are really truly on the cutting edge,” McCue said. The all-electric drag racer, named Shock and Awe, took about two years to build.
Almost every electric car uses a DC motor, which employs brushes to keep electricity flowing. As the electricity flows through the brushes, sparks are created. Those sparks will wear down a motor very quickly if under heavy use, like in a drag racing vehicle.
Instead of a DC motor, Shock and Awe is outfitted with an AC motor. Since an AC uses magnets instead of brushes, the system can last a lot longer. DC motors can create more torque, but AC motors can spin a lot faster.
Click HERE to read the entire article about the automotive technology class at Bothell High School on The Woodinville Weekly website.
