Electrathon season 2013-2014 comes to an end at the Portland International Raceway

The 2013-2014 Electrathon  car season has come to an end, and Willamette High School has plenty to be proud of. Once again the team represented well, and another student team brings home the title. With around half of the top fifteen final finishers, WilHi has proven that they are a continual presence and perennial strength for the program.
Many people ask me what the Electrathon car program is all about. I let them know that this program is one that is offered for credit, as a Pathway program for the Industry and Engineering strand. Specifically, the students create electric cars from scratch, and race them throughout a circuit during the school year. As taken from the official Willamette High School Electrathon website:

"Electrathon vehicles are raced to see which vehicles can travel the farthest in one hour. These vehicles are powered by just 73 pounds of standard lead acid batteries and race on courses from road courses with tight corners and hills to a mile long NASCAR style ovals. These races challenge teams to design a lightweight and efficient vehicle and then drive it to perfection so as not to waste energy. There are adult and high school divisions. Races occur across the nation and throughout the world. The national record is traveling over 62 miles in one hour, which has the energy equivalent of going 2,370 miles on a gallon of gas!"

The students work to build cars that can withstand the pounding of each course while continuing to improve the design of their vehicles. Many factors are involved such as aerodynamics, weight, weather conditions and friction. Each race provides information that the students can then use to fine tune their racing machines. Brakes that "grab" or drag, for example, will have quite an impact on the overall efficiency of the vehicle. Not only does it slow down the car, but it also creates more drain on the battery, resulting in an incomplete race. The student teams must then identify and correct these variables as they strive to create the "perfect electric car."

 The season consists of seven races for standings, and an "all-star" event at the Portland International Raceway at the end. The courses range in length, composition and technical difficulty. Some, like the road races in Lacey, Washington and Hood River, Oregon, are created by blocking off sections of roadway and parking lots to create a "Le Mans" style course. These courses are complete with hair-pin turns, elevated straightaways and narrow passages. Other courses are parking lots with coned areas for the race. These courses are in Eugene, Oregon (2 courses), Portland, Oregon and Pasco, Washington. They are short, between 1/4 and 3/4 of a mile. These courses test the limits of the suspension and durability of the cars as they are subject to curve after curve at twenty to thirty miles per hour. The "course at the mill" in Mapleton, Oregon, is a gritty, gutty affair. Located at the site of an abandoned logging mill, the course is hilly, muddy and treacherous. In several places the racing surface gives way to steep ditches, and there are places where the cars can only pass two at a time, making a driver's focus intense as they maneuver for position.
The season completes in Portland, at the Portland International Raceway. This professional track is 1.9 miles long, and has expected straightaways and formula one chicanes and curves. Over the course of a weekend, the racers compete in long and short races. There are two of each, and the combined laps are how the winner is determined. This is quite a thrill for the racers, and the family environment is truly unique. Look forward learning more about this event in a future blog. Meanwhile, feel free to learn more at the Willamette High School Electrathon website, where you can meet the teams, learn how to have your sponsor logo on a car, or just enjoy the information!


Stephen L. Wilson
Indie Author/Publisher
Twist of Fate at Amazon
Stephen L. Wilson at Facebook
Stephen L. Wilson at Amazon
@WilsonStephenL