Trust Horizon grant encourages more Trident students to embrace electric vehicles

Trust Horizon has provided Trident level 2 Engineering students with a $6,000 grant to go towards the building of Electric Go Karts. 

Each year, students in Dave Dobbin’s Engineering class design and build their own Go Kart. The students can choose to build either fossil-fuel powered Go Karts, or EV Electric Go Karts. Over the last five years, only five EV Go Karts have been built. However, this year, 12 (or 75%) of the students’ Go Karts will be electric. 

Mr. Dobbin was thrilled to see so many students choosing to shift away from fossil fuels this year, and move towards electric. With the grant from Trust Horizon supporting the cost of EV projects, even more students will be encouraged to build EV Go Karts next year.  

EVs are a viable alternative to traditional fossil fuel driven machines. Clean, quiet, and safer to replenish, they are also significantly cheaper to run. For Trident students, the opportunity to learn more about the benefits of EVs will also help influence and educate their whānau and wider community. So they, too, can understand how electric vehicles are becoming the future of transport. 

The EV learning that students gain in Mr Dobbin's Engineering class aligns with Trust Horizon's Energy Education & Engagement goals. Likewise, Trust Horizon’s outcomes align with Trident’s Energy Efficiency focus. "Energy underpins almost everything we do, and having students able to learn hands-on how electric vehicles work and showcase how they will help us become more sustainable is very exciting,” says Trust Horizon trustee, Merrin Stables. “We hope to be able to lend our support across more of these exciting learning opportunities throughout the EBOP.”

You can read about more of Trust Horizon’s projects in our posts here.