Mathematics is Focus of Two Grants C A M P U S C U R R E N T
Electric Ride CHET CORCOS ’13 BUILDS A PLUG-IN TRUCK
HOMETOOLED: My dad works on classic cars, and we have a shop in our yard. My first car was a classic ’65 Malibu that I built with my dad my freshman year of high school. So I had a good base in mechanical tools. Then I got an internship at UC Davis, working with Dr. Andy Frank [a professor of mechanical and aeronautical engineering known as the father of modern plug-in hybrid electric vehicles], and I learned a lot about electronics.
“I’m studying engineering because I like building things that are cool.”
JUMPSTART FROM DAD: The summer before my senior year, Dad suggested that I build an electric truck. He helped me and funded it. I bought a ’99 Chevy S10 that had a blown motor and a cracked block. I got it cheap.
BIG JOB: We ripped everything out; all we needed was the chassis. We got a 100-horsepower electric motor and mounted it to the transmission. We had to get a controller, power brakes and power steering, a charger, a DC converter, and 20 6-volt, deep-cycle batteries, and much more—a lot went into designing it. We had a lot of components that had to fit in a small space. The biggest challenge was getting it all to work. We had to call the manufacturers to make sure we were wiring things right.
DASH OR CHARGE: It’s a completely electric truck. How long it runs on a charge is dependent on where you’re driving. I had no problems driving around town. Dad made it 20 miles on the freeway.
TICKET TO COLLEGE: Cars got me into college. What set me apart was I had something I did, something I could write my essays on. Now I’m studying engineering because I like building things that are cool.
S t u d e n t N e w s
HMC sophomore and placekicker Chet Corcos spent one high school summer transforming an old Chevy pickup into an all-electric vehicle.
F A L L /WI N T E R 2 0 1 0 H a r v e y Mu d d C o l l e g e
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WILLIAM VASTA
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