Giustino Bovenzi
Sports Editor
clarion@sinclair.edu
The definition of a hybrid, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, is something (as a power plant, vehicle, or electronic circuit) that has two separate components performing essentially the same function.
“For most people they hear the word hybrid, and they just think better gas mileage,” Chrysler College Automotive Program Coordinator Tom Freels said. “But hybrid really means the combination of both better emissions and gas mileage.”
Sinclair’s Automotive Department at Sinclair, located in Building 20, has increased its focus toward developing coursework and training students to be prepared to work on hybrid vehicles, according to Freels.
“With the automotive industry evolving towards more gas efficient, emission efficient vehicles, we have to prepare our students to be able to work on those cars as well,” Freels said. “We’ve been working with hybrid vehicles since 2006,” Freels said.
Freels said that Sinclair’s Automotive Department initially held training seminars for other college faculty members around the country with the initial grant they received in 2006, but that grant money soon ran out.
Sinclair received another grant in 2009 for $750,000, according to Freels, with the focus of acquiring more cars, parts, materials and training.
There are a handful of hybrid vehicles on campus for students to work on, according to Freels, including a Ford Fusion, a Ford Escape and three Toyota Prius’ to name a few.
The department acquired mostly salvaged vehicles to save on costs and also to have side projects for students to work on.
“One car was donated to us from Westfield Insurance,” Freels said. “It was a Prius that had a front end collision. We just had to fix it.”
Freels said that a good portion of the grant money is used to cover travel costs for the training seminars that the Automotive staff has to attend to stay current with new developments in technology.
“Flying four or five people out to San Fran can get pretty costly once you include hotels and airfare,” Freels said.
While in training, the faculty developed a new curriculum for their own classes, which they have now implemented in their courses. Each faculty member (that attended the seminars) would make a presentation or create a test as they were going along. The changes will help the program address new challenges in the industry.
Freels said that each major car company has to meet a miles per gallon gasoline benchmark each year. With each car company making more changes to emissions and gasoline economy, it is imperative that the faculty in the Automotive Department continue to attend the seminars and receive training, he said.
Freels suggests that the hybrid course would be appropriate for Automotive students that have taken most of the other courses, such as electrical or engine performance.
“The thought behind that is to avoid any setbacks in class and to keep things running as smooth as possible,” Freels said, “And also for safety, of course.”
The department hopes to one day have a certificate program for hybrid vehicles, according to Freels, but for now he said he could see more classes being offered toward the specifics of hybrid parts.
“Transmissions and transaxles are something to look forward to in the near future,” Freels said.