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By Canadian Press

Calgary students convert ATVs to solar power

Apr 18, 2022 | 2:30 PM

CALGARY – University of Calgary engineering students have figured out how to convert all-terrain vehicles to solar power and hope it will benefit Indigenous and remote communities in Canada’s north.

The students, from the Schulich School of Engineering, were asked by a research station northwest of Whitehorse to find a way to convert a gas-powered Kubota used there to an electric motor.

Austin Bercier and Jasmine McDermott, who are both of Indigenous descent, were excited to take part in the project.

The solar batteries, which have to work in sub-zero temperatures, can be charged by simply plugging into a regular power outlet.

Bercier says the group has made a manual available to northern communities that want to convert their own vehicles.

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He says the skyrocketing cost of fuel in the north makes the solar energy more attractive.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2022.

The Canadian Press