Colorado State University, the University of Pittsburgh, University of Washington and University of Wisconsin were four universities that were selected to receive an Innova Dash solar-powered electric car to be used in on-campus research projects.
The Dash, dubbed the “new urban electric vehicle,” reaches a top speed of 35 MPH and can be driven 90 miles on a full charge. The vehicles use tablets that connect to the WiFi on campus to track the position, speed and battery charge. The vehicles will be used to study sustainability, and ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the participating universities. Several projects have been proposed to utilize the vehicles on campus, including transporting students home at night, and testing automotive parking technology.