PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Northern Maine Community College recently received a $15,000 grant from Emera Maine to purchase an electric car that college officials claim will not only benefit several of their programs but also aid in economic development for Aroostook County.
NMCC is currently seeking bids from various car companies to buy a 2018 Chevrolet Volt that students in the automotive technology, diesel hydraulics technology and emergency medical services programs would use to learn about the inner workings of electric vehicles and the best safety practices in repairing them and helping accident victims.
The grant covers $15,000 of the total $40,000 cost to buy the vehicle and the rest of the expenses will be covered by NMCC’s own funds. NMCC has a long-standing relationship with Emera Maine, as the company has one employee on the college’s foundation board and has allowed the automotive technology program use of one of its hybrid vehicles for student coursework.
NMCC President Tim Crowley said that as the market for electric vehicles becomes more profitable, students will benefit from learning how to repair them and how to stay safe while doing so.
“For example, if a technician did not disengage an electric car’s energy source, then they could be seriously electrificuted or burned,” Crowley said. “EMTs have the same precautions to take not just for themselves but for when they have to remove someone from a vehicle.”
The Chevrolet Volt has a starting price of $33,220 and a range of 420 miles before needing to be charged. The first modern electric cars, Crowley noted, could only drive far less than 100 miles before their next charge.
An estimated 120 to 130 students in all three programs will receive automotive and safety training related to electric vehicles, which means that auto dealers will have the knowledgeable technicians needed in order to sell electric vehicles. Crowley noted that the electric vehicle industry in the United States is expected to grow in the coming years due to high gas prices and environmental concerns regarding combustible vehicles.
“The purchase of an electric vehicle will not only help our students but also the local economy. If we have the technicians to repair electric vehicles then that could attract people with those types of vehicles to settle here,” Crowley said.
Dottie Martin, NMCC dean of development and public affairs, added that the college will offer electric vehicle training to current technicians and EMS responders so that their knowledge and expertise aligns with that of students who graduate into the local workforce.
She expects that the college will choose the winning company bid on the Chevrolet Volt and finalize the purchase within the next few weeks. Automotive technology, diesel hydraulics technology and EMS instructors will officially begin using the vehicle in their courses during the spring 2019 semester.
“Having an electric vehicle will allow NMCC to expand our curriculum and give students even more hands-on approaches to their education,” Martin said.
