A group of 25 female students from a school in Bendigo are leading the way with electric vehicles by converting an old Range Rover into an EV as part of a new school initiative.
The exciting new project kicked off last month and will take place over the course of a year, with students from four different high schools in the area coming together to develop the car at Bendigo South East College.
As part of the project, the girls will fully strip, refurbish and rewire the car that will eventually be rented out within the local community.
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The project is being run by Bendigo Tech School director Graeme Wiggins, who launched the initiative to encourage more women to enter STEM fields.
“The Australian manufacturing industry currently employs over 900,000 people, with women making up one in four employees,” Wiggins told the ABC.
“We’re trying to create an aspiration pathway for young women who are interested in engineering, advanced manufacturing and automotive careers.”
Interestingly, Wiggins asserted that half of the group were “already hardcore car nuts” who were considering work in the automotive industry and are now being given the opportunity to delve into the world of electric vehicles.
The Range Rover was donated to the group by a local member of the community who was stoked to see such an exciting opportunity for young women to learn such valuable skills.
“They will learn a lot of patience, and a lot of mechanic things and how to unbolt things and put it back together.”
The car, which will run on solar energy, will eventually be used to raise money to fund future start-ups and enterprise ideas in the local community.
Young women working towards careers in STEM and a great initiative in the electric vehicle space? You simply love to see it.