HOUSTON — Imagine converting an old bread van that didn't even run from a gas to an electric engine. That's exactly what a group of Rice University students did for a remarkable class project.
Some 30 students put in hundreds of hours on the conversion of the nearly 30-year-old vehicle. They used a 1997 Chevy P-30 delivery van that was gathering dust at the University Housing and Dining Department.
“It had become completely nonfunctional,” said Andrew Linhart of the Class of 2024. “We gutted the whole system and converted it into an electric vehicle. The original vehicle didn't even have A.C.”
That's just one of the many upgrades the students put in over two semesters. The restoration and conversion was their Capstone Design Project, a requirement for Rice engineering majors. A group of freshmen were responsible for putting in a brand new dashboard that included computer displays.
“You know what speed you're going at, the total charge, etc,” Linhart said as he tapped the Ipad-sized screens.
“This is a GM truck with a motor from Omni and batteries out of a Tesla and making that all function together,” said team captain Austin Greer.
The students tricked those parts by mimicking different electrical signatures.
“That makes those parts electrically think that they were in the vehicle that they came out of it,” Austin explained.
So the air conditioning system, the backup camera, cruise control, driveshaft, batteries, blue tooth and more all work together.
Then the students did test drives from freeways to a parking lot obstacle course. Not everything was a mechanical and engineering problem.
“We researched a lot of regulations and laws about what constitutes a road legal vehicle,” said Linhart. “That was my specialty as a future attorney.”
The total tab? $53,000 paid for by a university grant.
“It was a great learning experience, so the value gained there is invaluable,” Andrew said.
Plus, Housing and Dining now has a custom e-van in its fleet.
“It's now in use,” Linart said. “You might see it driving around Rice the next time you’re over here.”