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Dr. Fagan Brings Electric Car to Profiles Series |
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News release
issued November 5, 1998, effective immediately. Note: This event occured in 1998. Please see the news release index for current events.
OU Professor to bring high-tech vehicles to Ardmore Dr. John Fagan, professor of engineering with the Electric Vehicle Research Institute within the University of Oklahoma's College of Engineering, will bring two electric-powered vehicles - a race car capable of almost 200 mph and what at first glance appears to be a regular Ford Ranger pickup - to Ardmore in the second installment of the Noble Foundation's Profiles and Perspectives series. The popular OU instructor and speaker will present a free program to the public at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the Hardy Murphy Coliseum, bringing with him the "Smokin' Sooner Schooner," an electric-powered race car, and the electric-driven pickup. The vehicles also will be demonstrated to school groups earlier during the day. "We are excited about bringing such a high-energy program to Ardmore, and we hope that it will appeal to a broad audience," said Donna Windel, NF grants manager and member of the Foundation's Profiles and Perspectives Committee. "Dr. Fagan and his students have taken cutting edge alternative fuel innovations and applied them to an Indy-style race car," Windel said. "We want to give the people of Southern Oklahoma the opportunity to learn how this was accomplished and what it means for motor vehicles of the future." The $180,000 race car sports an 85-pound engine capable of generating 400 horsepower, propeling the vehicle to more than 195 miles an hour. Sixteen battery packs are located beneath panels on each side of the driver's compartment in the fiberglass vehicle. Fagan and the EVRI have overseen the completion of several successful demonstration projects, including the Formula Lightning Race Car, the Sportech high performance electric sports coup, the Spirit IV solar race car, and demonstration passenger sedan and pickups with extended range, higher top speeds, quick charging techniques, advanced battery design, and onboard energy management technology. Researchers in the EVRI say the culmination of these research projects is "a joint commercial venture into the local manufacture of high performance electric cars within the state of Oklahoma." The institute's goal is to "place a commercially successful zero emissions electric vehicle on the road" that is economical, has extended range, can be quickly charged, and provides the performance and comforts of its gasoline-powered counterparts. His solar and electrical vehicle research programs are on the cutting edge of alternative fuel innovations for motor vehicles. His research has produced eight patents and numerous awards and grants, including receiving a $10,000 grant as one of the Noble Foundation's prestigious Presidential Professor of Excellence honorees. Another grant received is from the FAA, to study methods of making precision aircraft landings using the satellite based Global Positioning System. A recent electric Indy car that Noble Foundation funding helped build took the national championship in 1997. About 40 OU students work on the EVRI projects. Fagan is the second presenter brought to Southern Oklahoma in the Noble Foundation's Profiles and Perspectives series, designed to bring professionals and specialists in a variety of fields to the area. In announcing the "Profiles and Perspectives" program, Michael A. Cawley, Noble Foundation president, said the Foundation wants to initiate contact with people from varied and diverse backgrounds and vocations. Cawley said he wants the Southern Oklahoma community to be able to enjoy interesting and stimulating discussions and lectures otherwise not available to area citizens - a program consistent with the Noble Foundation's strong interest in the quality of life of the people of Ardmore and Southern Oklahoma. # # #
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