Press Release
On Thursday, April 26, 2012, fifty 11th and 12th grade students enrolled in Madison Park Technical Vocational High School’s Electric and Automotive program participated in an event focused on the subject of Electric Vehicles. The students learned more about the science behind these increasingly popular cars, as well as about the role that renewable energy will play in vehicle technology of the future and what that means for the City of Boston.
The event was sponsored by the Mayor’s Office of Environmental and Energy Services in partnership with the Boston Transportation Department and the Boston Public Schools. Other event participants included IBEW Local 103, DOER-Clean Cities and Alternative Transportation, eCars of New England, WheeGO Electric Vehicles, and an Allston resident who is the owner of a BMW Active E vehicle.
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino said, “I couldn’t be more pleased to see this partnership created for the purpose of teachingBostonpublic high school students a lesson that will be beneficial to their future in a competitive job market.”
He added, “Government agencies, private businesses, a local union and a private citizen came together to provide interested students with a comprehensive, up-close tutorial on electric vehicles and alternate forms of energy, further reinforcing the classroom lessons of their teachers. This partnership should be used as a model for other worthy topics.”
The event was held at the IBEW, Local 103 Hall in Dorchester. Students participated in a panel discussion with event organizers and partners who are all currently involved in the development and deployment of the technology inMassachusetts. A question and answer period followed where students asked specifics about electric car batteries, the environmental impact of electric cars, and the installation of electric car charging stations in U.S. cities.
At the conclusion of the panel, students were given the opportunity to check out, first-hand, four different models of electric vehicles that were brought to the IBEW for the occasion – a WheeGo, a Nissan Leaf, a Plug In Toyota Prius and a BMW Active E. Also on hand for the students to examine was an electric vehicle charging station powered by IBEW 103’s onsite wind turbine. Students were provided a real-time demonstration of how energy generated from a wind turbine on IBEW property is transferred to electric energy to charge the batteries of the model cars at the event. Several charging stations have been installed in recent months on public property in Boston’s Government Center as well as in private parking facilities throughout the City.
The final piece of the presentation was a unique, real-time demonstration of how energy generated from a wind turbine on IBEW property was transferred to electric energy to charge the batteries of the model cars at the event.
“Interacting with the panelists, looking under the hoods and inside the vehicles, inspecting the charging station, and experiencing the potential of wind power is certainly an interesting field trip, and especially worthwhile for students from the Madison Park Technical Vocational High School,” said Jim Hunt, Chief of the Mayor’s Office of Environmental and Energy Services. “I’d like to thank our partners for helping us to offer this unique opportunity to the students.”
Boston Transportation Department Commissioner Thomas J. Tinlin added, “The Boston Transportation Department’s Complete Streets Program works to create streets that are both great public spaces and sustainable transportation networks. Electric Vehicles are a component of this program as they are considered a viable option for clean transportation, and, therefore, a welcome addition toBoston’s streets.”
