Late last summer, several dozen large boxes were delivered to the Automotive Systems Technology lab at Southwestern Community College’s Jackson Campus.
It didn’t take program coordinator David Myers, instructor Marty Rowland and their students long to open the crates and start assembling the contents. A unique “Switch Lab EV-PM/96V” began taking shape and became a popular conversation piece around campus.
However, straight out of the boxes, the innovative electric vehicle was a long way from being roadworthy. Students built the 112-volt battery cell-by-cell. There was also a lot of structural work to be done, including cutting parts of the frame to fit.
“Nothing was pre-fabricated, so we had to do a lot of problem-solving, and that was a really good learning experience for us all,” Myers said with a chuckle. “And when it came to programming this car, goodness, that was quite a challenge. That was where we definitely spent the most of our time.”
The persistent instructors and students stuck with it, and with some technical support from the manufacturer (Switch Vehicles Inc.), they got their EV to cooperate just in time to be put on display at the Association for Career & Technical Education’s Vision 2025 Conference & Expo last month in Nashville, Tenn.
The vehicle was funded through an investment by the Duke Energy Foundation, and Air Man Heating & Air in Dillsboro allowed SCC students and instructors to use their loading dock when additional space was needed for portions of the assembly process.
The Switch EV is unlike any other vehicle in SCC’s garage for a wide range of reasons, starting with the fact it uses only three wheels. It also has no traditional body, and it’s designed primarily to inspire and empower students to build, wire, diagnose and program an EV while practicing low- and high-voltage safety procedures.
“Even though it hasn’t been easy – and in fact, maybe because it hasn’t been easy – our students have learned so much this semester,” Myers said. “Marty and I also have learned a lot. This project has really been a good microcosm for our profession as a whole: You can never stop learning.”
For more information about SCC and its Automotive Systems Technology program, visit SouthwesternCC.edu or contact Myers at 828.339.4237 or d_myers@SouthwesternCC.edu.
