This week, we let the kids know they are not the only ones working for a “green” tomorrow as we introduced them to Dr. David Roper, retired professor of physics at Virginia Tech.

Electric pickup, the ZAP Xebra PK

We showed kids two cool (or should we say “green”) cars owned by Dr. Roper. The first is a hybrid-electric vehicle that he has driven over 36,000 miles since 2005. The second is an electric pickup, the ZAP Xebra PK, which he uses to get around Blacksburg and Christiansburg. He also informed the kids about a new greenhouse being constructed in the Blacksburg area by the YMCA (more about the greenhouse).

As part of the session, the we got to do the following:

• Explore two hybrid electric vehicles that save fuel and reduce carbon emissions
• Identify benefits and costs of buying and maintaining a hybrid electric vehicle
• Decide whether a hybrid electric vehicle can meet your families’ needs

It was interesting to notice the level of knowledge the kids had about hybrid-electric cars and their frank comments on the number of miles the car offered. The kids came to know why it is necessary to still use non-renewable fuel in a hybrid-electric car, while discovering the potential problems with current hybrid configurations, problems that they might be involved in solving some day. Also, they got to see a huge solar panel that Dr. Roper had installed on top of his Xebra!

The session also included the explanation of the working of a solar cell in simple terms by a K4C mentor. Next time we move on to utilizing the power of the wind as a source of energy.