Ponaganset High School students convert Ford Model T Roadster to a zero- pollution electric vehicle

August 18, 2008 (MILWAUKEE) - Students at Ponaganset High School, Glocester, R.I., recently bridged the very earliest days of automobiles to the industry's future when they converted a 1923 Ford Model T Roadster to a zero-pollution electric vehicle. A year-long elective course, titled Fuel Cell Systems, offers hands-on learning that brings textbook concepts to life.

Students used 12 OPTIMA YellowTop® D34/78 deep-cycle batteries to convert a gas-powered 1923 Ford Model T Roadster to a zero-pollution electric vehicle. After last year's success with using an OPTIMA battery for their two-passenger Quadracycle, OPTIMA was the clear choice for the Model T project.

With less than three months to complete the conversion, students wasted no time removing the gas engine to install the electric motor and controller system. The electric engine required 12 batteries in series to provide a total of 144 volts.

The students' next challenge was to mount 600 pounds of OPTIMA power inside the small Model T frame. They welded battery boxes throughout the vehicle to distribute the weight evenly and mounted the sealed, completely spill-proof batteries. Four batteries were placed in the front, three under the body frame, and five in the pickup bed. An extra OPTIMA YellowTop was mounted under
the body to power all non-drive systems such as headlights.

With the batteries in place, students installed the brake system, clutchless shifting, new wheels and the fuel cell. The students' hard work paid off as the street-legal Model T drove away with vanity license plates: FUELCL.

OPTIMA is proud to sponsor Ponaganset's ongoing success with Fuel Cell Education Initiatives and encourages students to continue advancing their understanding of fuel cell technology. For more information on this fuel cell project go to http://protium.us/projects/fuel_cell_t.php

For more information:
Derek Brown
414-278-0040
derekb@stirstuff.com