{"id":12416,"date":"2022-08-08T23:08:11","date_gmt":"2022-08-08T23:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lemonerdy.com\/web\/?p=12416"},"modified":"2022-09-11T06:21:38","modified_gmt":"2022-09-11T06:21:38","slug":"the-comed-ev-rally-building-and-racing-electric-vehicles-at-the-museum-of-science-and-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lemonerdy.com\/web\/the-comed-ev-rally-building-and-racing-electric-vehicles-at-the-museum-of-science-and-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"[UPDATED] The ComEd EV Rally: Building and Racing Electric Vehicles at the Museum of Science and Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ComEd EV Rally was so much fun! Earlier this summer, I applied for the opportunity to learn how to build an electric vehicle and race it with a team. ComEd chose thirty girls to put onto six teams with five team members on each team. The teams were Blue Quest, Violet Vortex, Orange Flare, Yellow Spark, Green Galaxy, and my team – Teal Turbo. We learned a lot during the program, and on race day, Marvel’s Xochitl Gomez was there to cheer us on!<\/p>

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Photo credit: ComEd<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

At the beginning of the program, we met at the Museum of Science and Industry to meet our teammates and get the t-shirts that we would wear while we worked on our cars with our teams. We spent build nights working on the cars, learning about circuits, working with mentors and alumni from the icebox derby program, and getting to know each other. <\/p>

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Photo Credit: ComEd<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Each team had a rising freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, and college freshman, and we all had different strengths. Since love to code, and I learned about circuits in Computer Science this year, so that was my thing. I learned a lot of new things too, and our mentors gave us resources to learn even more at home. By the time race day came, all of the teams were ready.<\/p>

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Photo Credit: ComEd<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

We had built and decorated our cars, taken them for a test drive, and decided on our racing order. Parents and siblings came to our last build night and made signs together. When we got to the Museum of Science and Industry, where the race would be held, we had a practice run, and then got all geared up with our bandanas, face paint, and noise makers so that we could cheer each other on. ComEd gave away 500 tickets to the museum for friends, family, and the community so that everyone could come and not only see the race, get free stuff, drinks, and cheer for their favorite teams, but also check out the museum.<\/p>

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Photo Credit: ComEd Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

The race was like a relay race. Instead of using a baton or something to switch drivers, we had to complete STEM challenges. I’ve done a lot of different things, but guess what… I don’t drive and I don’t even have my permit! I can say that the first real car that I drove on my own was one that I built with the help of ComEd, mentors, and the members of Teal Turbo. Working together was so much fun. Completing the challenges was tough, and all 30 girls were super smart and motivated to win. There were two heats, and the winner of each heat would compete in the final. We won the first heat, and went on to compete in the final against Orange Flare. <\/p>

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