Senior Design Team “Peak Load ” — otherwise known as the Gas to Electric Desert Race Truck — is converting a 100% electric vehicle from a fully gas-powered 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee. To top it off, the team will be competing in one of the largest races in the world: “The Baja 1000 competition”. As a group the team will implement AutoCAD, advanced machining, and a wealth of knowledge to re-design the suspension and install an electric drive train. For many team members, building a vehicle to race in the Baja 1000 has always been a dream. By coming together and building a project, this group of students will be given the chance to experience something that would have been impossible alone. The main goal of the project was to teach students the rigor of designing a project throughout its process and provide them with positive life experiences along the way.
“Peak Load” is hand-building an off-road racing vehicle that is 100% electric. This project is at the cutting-edge of Electric Vehicle technology, sponsored by industry partners such as Fox Factory, Ride Hard America, AEM Electric Vehicles, and more. The team has raised almost $50K and are set to break the all-time record for senior design fundraising at Mines.
The team consists of 14 engineers, including Mechanical Engineering students Blake Partis, Anthony Boyd, Titus Reed, Graham Gates, Benjamin Wartofsky, Joseph Nagle, Christopher Combs, Marley Debrito, and Adam Schwartz.
