We Didt It!

Students and their teachers at the Workshop School, a School District of Philadelphia public high school, have created a custom high mileage biodiesel race car built on the Factory Five 818 chassis. This component car, manufactured by Massachusetts based Factory Five, provided a gorgeous platform for us to create a fast, environmentally friendly, race car.

The 818 kit includes a tubular steel frame and fiberglass body panels along with a variety of other components. Students salvaged additional parts from a 2005 Subaru Imprezza WRX and used the VW TDI drivetrain from our former X PRIZE competition car.
Students created, tinkered, and problem solved throughout the process of building this unique vehicle. They adapted body components to accommodate our fuel efficient design, and painted the body, which they installed on the car. They installed all the mechanical and electrical systems in the vehicle. They fabricated custom axles, modified the turbo, and designed and built an aerodynamic roof, to make this car a reality.

The car is powered by locally sourced used fryer oil converted to biodiesel which was, of course, made by our students.

This 1,800 pound car tops out at 150mpg and gets 98 MPG. Here are the other specs:
Wheelbase – 90 inches
Overall length – 158 inches
Front track – 58.5 inches
Rear track – 58.5 inches
Overall height – 48.0 inches *
Overall width – 70.5 inches
Ground clearance – 4.5 inches