Students convert Champ Car to electric

A group of high school students from the DeLaSalle School in Kansas City, Mo., and their mentors, including engineers from Bridgestone Americas' Technical Center in Akron, Ohio, have just concluded tests on a student-built electric car at Bridgestone's Texas Proving Grounds – and may have set a world record for efficiency.

The all-electric vehicle was built as a class project under the direction of instructor Steve Rees. With the help of automotive mentors, the students have created a plug-in electric car based on the chassis of a 2000 Lola Indy Car. The students have developed a driveline, electric propulsion system and full, ultra light-weight aerodynamic body.

The car, which is mounted on Bridgestone Ecopia EP100 tires, showed remarkable results in testing— test runs reported efficiency levels that would be the equivalent of more than 300 miles per gallon. Steve Rees is currently petitioning Guinness World Records to consider the students' accomplishments as a new world record.