Electrathon America is a nationwide program featuring electric race cars that are built, maintained, and driven by high-school students and other amateurs. The teams compete twice annually at raceways such as the Lime Rock Raceway in Connecticut. The goal for each competitor is to complete the greatest number of laps during a fixed time period -- typically one hour. This involves careful pacing so that the car does not run out of battery power before the allotted time. In so doing, the teams learn important lessons in physics, engineering, energy management, and team work.
At Rockport High School, the Electrathon America program was begun by Robert Cannon who taught Technology and Engineering at the school. The new Tech-Engineering teacher David Young took over from Bob in August 2012. The RHS team is assisted by several adult volunteers whose engineering skills and dedication have made all the difference ;-) Generous funding support has come from the Education Foundation for Rockport (EFR). In only two years of competion, the RHS Electrathon America team has racked up several impressive wins and a few heartbreaking defeats. Learning how to deal with the more challenging times is an important part of the Electrathon America experience.
To support the Electrathon America program at RHS, please contact David Young at <dyoung "at" rpk12 "dot" org>.
RHS Electrathon Team on Parade (July 4, 2012)
Electrathon America Competition (October 2011) -- Powerpoint Presentation
Electrathon Competition (October 2011) -- Video
Chevy Volt visits RHS (September 2011) -- Powerpoint Presentation