The N.C. State Sustainability Office partnered with Energy Management and the Staff Senate on Wednesday to host the Alternative Vehicle Showcase for Campus Sustainability Day.
The event took place in the Brickyard and allowed alternative vehicle owners to present their knowledge of energy-saving vehicles and the benefits of driving them.
A variety of energy-saving models were represented including the Nissan Leaf, the Chevy Volt, the Segway, N.C. State’s EcoCar and the Tesla Model S.
Two of these Tesla models were positioned in the middle of the brickyard. Students climbed in and out of the driver’s seat to take a look at the “Quickest American Sedan,” one of which was equipped with Google Maps and an Internet browser displayed on a 17” touchscreen.
Thomas Vaidhyn, a Tesla owner, purchased his vehicle four months ago for $85,000. Vaidhyn said he prefers this model to his old BMW.
The Tesla, which is both beneficial to the environment and cost-effective, has proven to be extremely low maintenance, and you only have to change the windshield wiper fluid, according to Vaidhyn.
Vaidhyn said its cost-efficiency also convinced him that the Tesla is a great investment compared to other alternative vehicles.
“Right now I am plugged into the electric grid,”Vaidhyn said. “It costs me one fifth of what I used to spend on gas in my Beemer,”
Ownership costs will continue to decrease with the installment of new Tesla Supercharge stations across the nation. These stations will ultimately make travelling across the country cost free, according to Vaidhyn.
The Alternative Vehicle Showcase is not just an opportunity to exhibit cars, but also bicycles, scooters and even motorcycles.
Paul Liu, owner of an electric chopper motorcycle, allowed students to take rides around the brickyard.
The chopper, which reaches a maximum speed of 30 miles per hour, cost Liu about $800, proving to be affordable and a great hobby.
Across the Brickyard, N.C. State students presented their contribution to Sustainability Day in the form of an EcoCar.
Claire Basista, a junior in environmental engineering, said the EcoCar development team will be entering the vehicle in a three-year automotive engineering competition against 14 other schools.
“The point is to convert a brand-new Chevy Malibu, donated by General Motors, into a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle,” Basista said.
The team will work to produce this energy-efficient vehicle for the competition in June of 2014, and Basista said the Alternative Vehicle Showcase is an opportunity for the developers to show the campus their progress in the project.
“Our message is sustainability since electronic vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric are not the end-all, be-all,” Basista said. “They are not the answer, but we are still learning about one of the solutions to sustainability.”
The entire event emphasizes the message that alternative vehicles have the potential to be cheaper, environmentally friendly and the new face of transportation across the globe, according to Carla Davis, communications coordinator for N.C. State’s Sustainability Office.
Working with the Sustainability Office, she is involved in many of the activities during October, which is Energy Action Month.
One of the best ways for students to get involved in sustainability on campus is by downloading the JouleBug application for smartphones. The application, which was invented by N.C. State alum Grant Willard, allows students to earn points for practicing earth-friendly habits.
“If you have a smartphone, you can download JouleBug and it is a campus-wide competition,” Davis said. “It makes sustainable actions fun.”
