Evolocity Launch

Evolocity Launch 2022

On the 9th of March we, the Ōtaki College Evolocity team attended the 2022 Evolocity launch and design workshop in Lower Hutt. Evolocity is a charitable organisation educating kiwis on the environmental and economic benefits of electric vehicles while growing youth interest in technology and engineering. 

The event started at 3.30pm and was full of inspirational speeches from the likes of Alan Brent - Victoria University, Rob Badcock- Robinson Research Institute, and Patrick McKibbin – Hutt Chamber of Commerce. These sponsors make it possible for the next generation of budding scientists and engineers to get involved in the evolocity electric vehicle building challenge.

Our team OC RACING was chosen to model the innovation possibilities within the Evolocity program by demonstrating the Gymkhana. The Gymkhana is a timed race, mainly consisting of slaloms, sprints and baton swapping. And as an addition to deduct time you can cross planks of wood, and carry a jug without spilling the water. Our electric vehicle is a 3 wheeled kart powered by a 1000w hub motor and a 48volt lithium ion battery. Which we spent our lunch times and holidays designing, fabricating, and of course breaking. The demonstration went brilliantly, and we loved answering all the questions about how to go about developing a vehicle and how to overcome the challenges involved. We are very grateful that we were given this opportunity to share a bit of our story and potentially inspire others to get involved with Evolocity.

We feel very passionately about creating smarter, faster and lighter vehicles. So much so that it's all we spoke about on the drive down to Lower Hutt. This year, we have many new ideas that we are excited to make real. 

Anika Edginton

Year 12 Student