B&W Pantex Hosts Electric Car Race Saturday

Teams of middle school students will be taking a crack at creating the car of the future this weekend in the B&W Pantex Electric Battery Car Race.

More than 15 teams from area schools will be participating in the race, which will pit the students’ small car creations head-to-head in a test of speed and reliability. The race is part of the National Science Bowl.

Each year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sponsors the car races, with different types of propulsion chosen for the cars. Last year, the cars were powered by Hydrogen. This year, in honor of President Obama’s clean energy goal of putting one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015, DOE chose electric battery cars. Teams were given kits a month ago to assemble into the fastest, most stylish car they can create.

“The car race is always a favorite event for us at Pantex,” said B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery. “It’s a fun and exciting way for us to encourage a new generation of inventors and engineers.”

The races start at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Amarillo Area Center for Advanced Learning, 1100 N. Forest. Each race will feature four cars running down a 20-meter track, as well as a competition for car design, craftsmanship, creativity and the most appealing design.

All Amarillo media is invited to attend the races, which will run through the morning until the finals begin at noon. The races will pause during lunch from 11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

B&W Pantex manages and operates the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. B&W Pantex is also the proud recipient of the DOE’s Voluntary Protection Program STAR status for safety excellence. The company was also named one of America’s safest companies by Occupational Hazards magazine and has received numerous awards from the National Safety Council.

CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560
gcunning@pantex.com