University students will begin converting a 2003 Ford E-250 cargo van into an electric van in a Learning in Community engineering class Thursday.  

Kevin Wolz, one of the project managers and senior in LAS and Engineering, said this van will be one of the first of its kind in terms of its weight class and type.

The electric van will replace the Sustainable Student Farm’s old van — a 1991 Chevy running at about 6 miles per gallon. Once the new van is converted to electric, it will be powered at a solar charging station at the farm.

The LINC class allows teams of students to work on projects proposed by community partners. The long-term project has been in the planning stages in the class for three semesters and is a collaborative effort between Student Sustainable Farm manager Zack Grant and crop sciences professor Bruce Branham. 

At the end of last semester, the project received $66,970 in funding from the Student Sustainability Committee to purchase the van and begin the conversion. 

“There’s plans all over the Internet about converting a car into electric,” Wolz said. “But when you get to a van, it gets more top-heavy, and there are no instructions about how to do it.”

Last weekend, Grant and his assistant picked up the Sears van from Chicago. The van was inspected by employees at the University’s Garage & Car Pool, and released to the class. 

In the campus garage where the car will be held until Thursday, three students in the LINC class gathered around the van and discussed what needed to be done as garage attendant Aaron Richardson attached University license plates on the vehicle. 

Alex Harrison, senior in Engineering, worked on projects such as shelving and building a ramp to load produce onto docks. 

“In the near future, we’re going to follow the workers on the student farm on a delivery tour where they’re delivering vegetables to fit the current van to do the same things the old one does,” Harrison said. 

Michael Courtney, LINC student and junior in Business, said he was excited to be a part of a project whose research would contribute to improving the world. 

“The way we’re consuming right now can’t last,” Courtney said. “Proving that it is possible to convert a vehicle of this size is a step forward in breaking the glass ceiling.” 

Grant’s end goal is to make the Sustainable Student Farm function entirely on renewable energy. The carbon footprint from transportation is a factor the farm wants to reduce. 

“The research needs to be done because ultimately its conversions will prove that car manufacturers should be making fleet vehicles that are fully electric powered,” Grant said. “The need for us is to make the farm more sustainable and the campus more sustainable, but there’s also a research component to this — if truly renewable energy is a feasible energy source for a farm.”  

Claire can be reached at [email protected].