It goes from zero to 60 only with a little help, but don't take your eyes off it after that or you're likely to miss it.

BYU students have been building an electric car for several years as part of different engineering capstone projects. Mechanical engineers designed the frame, and the past few years have been spent in assembly.

"We bought the motor, but nearly everything else is custom made for the car," said Chris Welton, a senior from Stockton, Calif., majoring in manufacturing engineering technology. "It's quite a novelty."

The project currently spans several disciplines in the engineering and technology departments.

"We have lots of engineers, all different kinds in the mix," said Josh Staker, a junior from Bountiful majoring in chemical engineering.

The car is currently partially disassembled following review last month by safety inspectors to help the students stay on the right track. Inspectors made recommendations for minor changes to improve safety. So far, the team has been lucky.

"Nobody's been hurt yet," said Sam Koontz, a junior from Waynesboro, Pa., majoring in manufacturing engineering. Safety measures include a fire suppression system and a strong frame to cushion the driver in case of a rollover.

For safety and insurance reasons, BYU students will not be driving the car during the tests.

"For it's first run we need a pro," Koontz said.

The car is unique because of its power source-88 36-volt batteries formerly used to power cordless drills. While this may sound like an environmentally friendly alternative fuel source, practice and theory are two different things.

"When the car is floored, it has about three minutes of battery life," Welton said. "After that, we have to recharge for about two hours."

Even with three minutes of battery life, the car is designed for speed. The current speed record for the car's competition category is 132 mph. The tentative target speed for the BYU group is 150 mph.

"If we changed the gear ratio, we could easily get up to 200 mph," Welton said.

Just because the car is designed for speed doesn't mean that it starts off fast. The car has a single high-speed transmission and requires a push from a specially equipped Ford F-350 pickup to accelerate to 60 mph and begin traveling under its own power.

The group plans to complete the car by August in time for the Bonneville Salt Flats racing season.

Copyright Brigham Young University 23 Oct 2008