Here’s something cool going on in electric vehicle (EV) education in Seattle. According to the West Seattle Herald, South Seattle Community College, in partnership with the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association (SEVA), is offering a number of non-credit electric vehicle classes, including a six-day Electric Vehicle Conversion workshop.

To be taught by a group of experienced instructors who have converted over two dozen vehicles, the six-day workshop guides students through the complete process of converting a vehicle from a gasoline engine to electric power. By the end of the workshop, the group will have completed one running electric car conversion capable of highway speeds, with a 30-60 mile range on one charge. According to South Seattle Community College‘s website, this class will run between Monday 3/30/09 to Saturday 4/4/09 and will cost $899, which may be a little steep but I think it’s worth it for the experience. If you’ll be in the area during this time, this is one fun thing to do for sure.

Here is a sample of other classes, all in evenings and spread over February and March 2009.

• An overview on current best practices in electric vehicle technology, tooling used in conversions, etc.
• A couple of sessions on introduction on electric vehicles, which will discuss advantages and disadvantages of different forms of EVs, including neighborhood vehicles, freeway-capable vehicles, electric racing, electric boats, electric assisted bicycles and scooters.
• A couple of sessions on electric vehicle batteries, with topics covering suitable batteries for EVs, cost comparisons, kWhr rating calculation, how to extend battery life, charging and recycling.
• A session on EV safety systems, concentrating on the DC system, its components and why they’re important.

More details about SEVA sponsored classes and workshop visit the SEVA education page.

Considering anyone can sign up for these classes and workshops, I think both SEVA and South Seattle Community College are doing a great public service.

Gas to Electric Vehicle Conversion in Six Days at South Seattle Community College is a post from: CleanCarTalk