An experiment taking place at Emory could signal the eventual demise of smelly hands and clothing due to self-serve gasoline stations.
As part of a national test drive project for the Impact, an electric car manufactured by General Motors (GM), three Emory employees are driving the Impact for periods of two weeks each. GM is conducting the project, called PrEView Drive (EV stands for electric vehicle), in 12 cities nationwide over a two-year period to obtain feedback about the car, particularly any improvements that need to be made. GM has manufactured approximately 50 of the cars so far.
Georgia Power is GM's partner in the Atlanta test drive, which will involve a total of 60 participants throughout the metro area (including the three Emory employees) driving the Impact through the end of April, when the experiment will move on to Houston. The Atlanta participants, all of whom are Georgia Power customers, were solicited primarily through announcements of the program in their monthly Georgia Power bills. A total of 700-800 participants nationwide will have tested the Impact when the PrEView Drive is completed.
The first Emory employee began driving the Impact the last week of November. The car, whose battery must be recharged with a wall-mounted recharging station, will go 70 to 90 miles on one recharging. Georgia Power has installed such a recharging station in Lowergate Parking (near the Parking Office), as well as temporary stations at the homes of the participating drivers.
Don Francis, Georgia Power staff engineer in electronic transportation and PrEView Drive program manager, said Emory is an ideal site for testing the viability of an electric vehicle. Francis said program applicants from Emory who met GM participation criteria were given preference, because Georgia Power has worked closely with Emory on introducing electric utility vehicles into the University's fleet and already wanted to install a recharging station at Emory.
Francis said the identities of the participating drivers and their feelings about the Impact will be kept confidential until the Atlanta test period is completed in April. He said confidentiality is necessary to prevent the impressions of earlier drivers from influencing those of later drivers.
As drivers complete their test period, they fill out survey forms on the Impact provided by GM. Francis said drivers are asked to comment on how well the Impact functions and to what degree it meets their transportation needs. "The idea is to find out what things about electric vehicles need to be improved," said Francis. "Not only will GM will be getting feedback from at least 700 people, but Georgia Power will get lots of information on what it takes to support electric vehicles in the field."
"This is another example of how Emory and Georgia Power have been working together," said Cheryle Crumley, manager of alternative transportation programs in Emory's Department of Community Services. "It's also a step toward our goal of providing portions of our shuttle routes with cleaner burning fuels."
In addition to Emory, other institutions and companies participating in PrEView Drive include The Coca-Cola Company, MARTA and CNN.
--Dan Treadaway