Keep your eyes peeled and you might see a group of students from UT Knoxville’s College of Engineering cruising around campus in the electric car that they built, the Bug E Bev. The students were advised by UT Knoxville faculty members Paul Frymier, Chris Cherry, Robert Counce, David Irick, and Leon Tolbert.
While building the vehicle, the students studied the sustainability of electric, hydrogen fuel cell, and gasoline-fueled vehicles. They discovered that both electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are more economic than a Toyota Camry. Both alternative vehicles also have less environmental impact than the Camry.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5TKzFGGyog
The above video also is featured as an Editor’s Choice on the Planet Forward website.
The Bug E Bev runs on lithium ion batteries, and plugs into a standard electrical outlet to recharge. The vehicle can go up to forty-five miles an hour and can run thirty miles on one charge. It can recharge in six hours for about twenty-five cents.