(Pflugerville) Students from Harmony Science Academy – Pflugerville (HSA-P) put the pedal to the metal on their hand-built electric car this month at the South Texas Greenpower USA Goblin and F24 Showcase, which was held at the Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport.
The 10-member student team took home a first-place win in the F24 Advanced Stock Overall. And it was their first year competing.
"The competition splits into two vehicle builds based on grade level. The Goblin is for fourth through sixth-grade students, while F24 is for sixth through 12th-grade students.," explains Ibrahim Erfidan, Harmony Science Academy - Pflugerville physics and CTE instructor at HSA-P. "Each building team must also give a presentation to the judges and industry partners on their vehicle and design process."
Greenpower USA's mission statement explains it all, "The goal of the Greenpower USA Foundation is to advance the understanding of STEM topics and inspire innovation in young people through the immersive experience of designing, building, and racing electric-powered vehicles."
For the F24 division, teams can modify a kit car or custom-build a vehicle. The race has an added hurdle, with each car needing to hold up to 90 minutes of drive time on the course on one set of batteries with two race heats.
"We used the Greenpower kit for this competition. We wanted to try out the stock car for our inaugural race, with plans to use modified models in later years," said Erfidan. "We were allowed to change some aspects, as long as it didn't change any performance, such as the gear ratio and analog throttle controller."
It took the HSA-P team 18 months to complete their electric car by building it during an afterschool club and on Saturdays. Erfidan explains that the team of students won out of all school teams who also made with a kit.
"I am proud to have led a team that was honored by this award," he said.
Harmony Public Schools are 62 high-performing PreK-12 college preparatory charter schools throughout Texas. Harmony blends the highest standards and expectations, with rigorous math- and science-centered curriculum and dedicated and engaged teachers and families to cultivate excellence and prepare students to succeed in college, careers, and life. At Harmony Public Schools, we believe every child can succeed, and we are committed to helping them realize their full potential. To learn more about Harmony Public Schools and our 62 campuses across Texas, please visit www.harmonytx.org.
