Called Renegade, the carbon-fiber-clad model was conceived by Penn Electric Racing, a student-run, interdisciplinary club of engineers and designers devoted to advancing electric vehicles.
“We want to help the general public, and the University community, understandelectric vehicle technology, and the benefits both environmentally and economically of driving EVs,” said team captain and Penn Engineering student William Price.
The seeds of the project were sown in 1989 when the university’s solar racing group was founded, which later expanded its scope of research. The Penn Electric Racing club plans to unveil its Renegade in mid-April, and hopes to compete in a National Association of Electric Drag Racers competition by the end of that month.
But the idea is not only to bring electric vehicles to the racetrack. Next steps include designs that they hope will eventually end up being made into street-legal cars, the group said in a statement.
