The Salt River Project (SRP) donated a 2017 Ford Fusion from its fleet to the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation for the Automotive Service Program at Mesa Community College.
“There are more than 3.3 million electric vehicles on the road today in the U.S., and that number is expected to skyrocket to 26.4 million by 2030,” said Kate Kochenderfer, senior director of Supply Chain, Transportation and Flight Services at SRP. “Demand for automotive specialists with EV capabilities is also growing rapidly. The vehicle we’re donating will strengthen the EV workforce, including our own SRP automotive technicians, while equipping MCC students with the skills they need to succeed in an economy that is transitioning to low-carbon, electric vehicles.”
SRP’s donation, valued at $15,000, afforded the college the opportunity to offer an intense Introduction to Electric and Hybrid Vehicles course (ASE265) the first week in May. The course will be restructured from the four eight-hour day format and offered again in fall 2024.
“Delivery of the EV from SRP’s fleet made it possible for us to expose our current Automotive Service students to the principles of electric vehicles before the semester ends and many graduate,” said Bryce Bond, chair of MCC Applied Sciences and Technology Department. “In addition to the new course offering, having an EV on site helps us enhance all our other automotive classes.”
First year MCC student Charles Spencer, who is participating in the intense course in May, feels the EV provides opportunities for students.
“I’m excited to be one of the first MCC students to have the opportunity to learn from working with this EV, learning first-hand about electrical components not everyone understands completely inverters, converters, the high-voltage battery and how the low-voltage battery really controls everything else in the car, the comforts like the A/C etcetera,” said Spencer.
The MCC Automotive Service Program maintains its Master Automobile Service Technology Accreditation, the highest level of program accreditation, from the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Education Foundation. This accreditation is valid through February 1, 2025.
