Electric Sandrail

why it's important:

It is common sense to think most people don't enjoy sucking on an active and burning hot tailpipe pumping out toxins, so its common sense to take that to an eventual global level before it becomes an even larger. We forget the past too quickly, and I see this being a problem because we overcome the hardships of the past by sweeping them under the rug. Seeing as we keep receiving ill-boding scientific statistics and results of studies about the environment, our impact on it, and how most are not even concerned about this. It's typical to assume that most adolescences like myself are concerned about the environment, and I didn't start out as one to forget about logic. Seeing us as people and for what we are to the earth is to realize we are a parasite, the only mammal to unintentionally kill itself out of its own well-thought out ignorance and selfishness, and because the true definition of insanity refers to the repetition of a difficult or seemingly impossible task by attempting the same methods, I see carelessness towards our actions and intentions concerning the environment. If your home is disgustingly filthy and begins to become a problem of personal and general progress as well as your health, do you not clean it? Everyone has lost touch of reality and has ignored the fact that even though we all inhabit this small planet, we seem to use the method of the "distribution of responsibility" to brush environmental issues and the possibility to utilize the tools and research in order to rid of these problems under the rug. It's as if a small, elderly woman is mugged in a well-lighted alley near its outward entrance that is facing a busy street, and is completely ignored; why is it that no one seems to care about this helpless and disadvantaged woman? Why do we as capable individuals turn a blind eye to "someone else's troubles?" I find myself, today, as someone who is empowered by the pure ignorance of other, and see myself as THE individual to make that difference or change that is "someone else's responsibility." It's important to me to stand alone and to be that person who sees the difference between frivolous and pointless activities that could drag me down or defeat me. I believe that it is a choice, not a residual instinct, when it comes to making selfless choices, and I see this theory is somewhat very obvious when it comes to the typical tendencies of people; I'm making my choices, even if I sometimes find myself on my own.

the plan of action:

Our plan, as an intellectually inclined group, was to convert an average sandrail with a VW engine and manual transmition that ran on gasoline into an entirely electrical outdoor vehicle. We planned on even making it entirely street legal, installing break lights, head lights (low and high beams), seat belts, a license plate, gauges, an emergency break, blinkers, and caution lights. We planned to wire the whole thing with even a bit of aesthetic appeal and true , painting it electric/metallic dark blue, after sanding, replacing rusted pieces and removing rust, and priming, along side the addition of personally fabricated battery boxes of unique and functional design (axillary and power-oriented sets), a rear-view mirror, side view mirrors, and even an outlet in order to use a simple, house-hold extension cord to charge the entire system through a series of wires linking the recharge box and the eight power-oriented, rear batteries, and the two axillary batteries for the functioning of lights and gauges. We planned this as a devoted and hardworking team of unique students and our experienced, intelligent instructor. This project was planned to show every one that even a bunch of kids can take something simple, old, and inefficient and make it into an excellent example of the purposeful application of knowledge, acknowledgement, and adaptation. With these new ideas and plans, and a project prior to this feat that was of similar attributes and was a bit of a test for our own capabilities when it came to environmental studies and environmentally-involved methods of progress and discovery. We made a few stories in the local papers reaching over 45 minutes away, and premiered as an impressive story on the news channel of North Central Florida, for which I have provided a link to the website and video of the story that is featured. This year, a couple students have stayed behind to expand on this accomplishment with improvements to the project and possibly the conversion of a real vehicle. What a way to show up the failing car giants mass produced today.

News Cast:
http://www.wcjb.com/news/3875/high-schoolers-build-electric-car

how you can get involved:

We designed it by hand, as a small group that was dedicated and willing. We were on our own and on a curricular and personally based income, but it was very fortunate that our instructor had been an excellent success as a civil engineer, with which he had acquired a healthy and inevitably successful way of living.