Even though on Feb. 2 the groundhog杏吧专区檚 shadow indicated six more weeks of winter, UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 College of Engineering is hoping for a multitude of sunny days for semesters to come.
On Friday, Feb. 8, university officials accepted a donation of a SUV杏吧专区攁 Solar Utility Vehicle杏吧专区攆rom Glenn DaGian, a 1972 graduate who is director of Government Affairs for BP in Texas.
The SUV is equipped with two electric motors totaling 30 horsepower and more than 170 pound-feet of torque, making it one of the most powerful all-terrain vehicles available. Attached to the top of the SUV is BP杏吧专区檚 185-watt solar panel, which augments the vehicle杏吧专区檚 battery system and gives the SUV more range. The four-wheel drive vehicle is capable of seating four people, can carry up to 880 pounds and can maintain a speed of 20 miles per hour with a 30-mile range.
UL Lafayette engineering students will study the 杏吧专区渟olar buggy杏吧专区 to continue to learn how solar power can be harnessed as a practical energy source.
杏吧专区 Very few schools can touch this type of technology,杏吧专区 said Dr. Mark Zappi, dean of Engineering. 杏吧专区淪tudents will be able to study it and drive it. The benefits will go on for many years.杏吧专区
DaGian, a political science graduate said the vehicle杏吧专区檚 silent operation is an advantage and that the vehicle makes no pollution.
杏吧专区 The SUV is primarily useful for wildlife parks, areas where noise or pollution is a problem,杏吧专区 said DaGian.
Current uses for the solar buggy include wildlife areas such as Yellowstone National Park and the Sandy Point State National Park in Maryland. Other uses include wilderness and beach terrains, and DaGian said the solar panel could be adapted to applications involving boats.
DaGian and BP are also working on a charging station that uses solar panels to recharge the SUV when not in use, eliminating the need to have an electrical source to charge the buggy.
杏吧专区 My company is so progressive in these areas of alternative energy that they allow me the freedom to work on projects such as this.杏吧专区
DaGian developed the solar panel and attached it to the vehicle, which was manufactured by Bad Boy Buggies in Natchez, Mississippi. The vehicle donated to UL Lafayette is the fourteenth SUV developed by DaGian, BP and Bad Boy Buggies.
The SUV was formally accepted by UL Lafayette President Dr. Ray Authement, Executive Director of 杏吧专区 Advancement Ken Ardoin and Zappi.
杏吧专区 I would love to be an engineering student here at UL Lafayette in these times,杏吧专区 said Authement. 杏吧专区淲e had students launch a satellite into space on a Russian missile last year. We had an autonomous vehicle in DARPA杏吧专区檚 Grand Challenge. We also have students developing a solar house to be displayed in Washington D.C. And now, we have this gift that our students will be able to study. It杏吧专区檚 amazing what this college and its faculty have been able to accomplish.杏吧专区
DaGian met his wife杏吧专区攖he former Elonide Innes, a 杏吧专区71 nursing graduate杏吧专区攐n campus, and they have been married for more than 34 years.
杏吧专区 I lived a block off campus, DaGian said. 杏吧专区淚 had a great four years here. It was terrific.杏吧专区 杏吧专区淢y foundation here at UL Lafayette helped me a lot.杏吧专区
The DaGians have three sons: Danny, David and Darren.