Georgetown HS students head to state competition with electric car they built

GEORGETOWN, Texas - For years, Georgetown High School automotive instructors Greg Wall and Kelley Mayo have been working with their students to successfully convert a Ford Mustang into an electric vehicle.

"It didn't come with an instruction manual. It came with a bunch of parts, and we had to figure out how those parts all fit together and get it to where it needed to be," says Mayo.

Mr. Mayo says building a car from scratch was a learning curve not just for the kids but for him as well.

"We put in the whole front of the car, we modified a bunch of stuff, built our own wiring diagrams and all with the help of Mr. Mayo, of course. And it was just a lot of fun," says Michael Friemel, Georgetown High School senior.

Last year the car could barely make it out of the shop. This year, with some modifications, the car is able to run about 60 miles per hour.

"It's really exciting. You know, you get to see something that you made turn into something that's going to be known throughout the state," says Friemel.

Mr. Wall and Mr. Mayo want to make sure all their students leave this program, learning at least the basics of automotive.

A couple of things that the kiddos learn in the automotive basics class is obviously safety. Another thing that is super important for drivers to learn is how to patch your tires.  

"I feel empowered in myself to be able to do things that, you know, mostly people would be like, dad, I need help, but I feel great and I feel able and I feel capable," says Megan Denton, Georgetown High School junior.