The Electric Odyssey, the first world-tour of a standard electric car, came to the ÍƼöÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ campus on April 9 to charge its Lithium-Ion battery. The battery, which is capable of traveling 60 to 100 miles on one charge, takes six hours to charge using a standard 120V electric outlet.
Starting in Strasbourg, France, the two-man crew -French engineers Antonin Guy and Xavier Degon - plans to make it around the world in eight months. The traveling duo says their goal is to promote electric vehicles and reassure the public that this could be the answer to our transportation needs.
"If a standard electric car can make a world tour, every single person is able to use it to go shopping," they say on their website.
The Electric Odyssey, a Citroën (model) was accompanied at the University by a Citroën 2CV, a French economy car.
"It was designed in the 1930s during World War II and has a two-cylinder motor and 29 horse power," Bob Tregilus, the car's owner, said. "It also has picnic seats; they come right out."
Also on-hand during the pit stop to answer questions about electric-car technology and electric-car initiatives in Nevada was John Sagebiel, environmental affairs manager for the ÍƼöÐÓ°ÉÔ´´, Mehdi Etezadi, chair of the Electrical and Biomedical Engineering Department and Alan Fuchs, chair of the Chemical and Materials Engineering Department.
The University was just one of more than 300 charging locations where the Electric Odyssey is scheduled to stop. After reaching San Francisco, the car will be taken by cargo ship to Japan.
