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History

Miramar High's Electric Vehicle Program began in 1996. Florida Power and Light approached the school board of Broward County with a proposal to help fund any school that would be interested in converting a full size gasoline automobile into an electric vehicle. This vehicle would be the state of Florida's entry into the 1997 Electric Vehicle International Challenge in Orlando, Florida. Miramar High School took the challenge.

FPL spokesmen reported there were a number of schools in North Carolina and Virginia that had impressive electric vehicle programs already in place. The N.E.A.T. instructors at Northampton East High School, Conway, North Carolina, were gracious in allowing the MHS instructors to visit their school and research their vehicles. Instructors Mr. Lowell Simmons and Mr. James McNamara returned to Florida, where Miramar students began construction on their 1993 Ford Probe. Miramar High School was on their way to building one of the most successful electric vehicle programs of the late 1900's and 2000's. We have gone on to produce our 1984 Porsche conversion and are currently completing our 1987 Mazda RX-7.


Major Accomplishments

Miramar High School has won numerous awards since its conception in 1997. Most notable are:

  • Overall champions at the 1998 Yankee Electrics in Agawam, Massachusetts
  • Autocross champions at the Northampton East EV Rally from 1998 through 2001
  • Champions at the Mid Atlantic Road Rally from 1999 through 2001
  • Overall champions in the 1999 Electric Vehicle International Challenge in Atlanta, Georgia
  • National champions of the 1999 Arizona Electrics in Phoenix, Arizona.
  • First overall 2002 Georgia EV Competition
  • First in range 2003 Northeast Sustainable Energy Association: Tour-de Sol
  • Top 10 overall 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 EV Challenge
  • Autocross champions, troubleshooting champions, second place overall 2007 EV Challenge
  • NEDRA national record holder HSB class 2005 Power of DC
  • NEDRA national record holder HSC class 2006 Battery Beach Burnout
  • NEDRA national record holder HAS class 1/8 mile 2008 Battery Beach Burnout
  • Autocross champions 2007 and 2008 Battery Beach Burnout
  • Voted best of Battery Beach: 2007 and 2008 Battery Beach Burnout
  • First in design, second in troubleshooting, third in range - 2nd place overall 2010 SMARTT Challenge


Miramar Faculty Involvement

Automotive Service Technology:

Mr. Lowell Simmons
Administration:

Principal Maria Formoso
Principal
Digital Media:

Mrs. Loretta Puskarcik

The students in Digital Design work on College and Career Readiness skills, including Letters of Application, Resumes, Digital Portfolios, Adobe Suite including: Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Flash and Indesign. Students design flyers, brochures, programs, videos, and photo collages for clubs, organizations, teachers and administration. During the last two years, over 400 students have passed an Adobe industry certification exam.


 
Mrs. Puskarcik

Web Design:

Mr. Mario Rodriguez

Mr.Rodriguez

 


Educational Objectives of the Program

Students at Miramar High School not only learn how important a clean world is, but how they can actually design and construct working fuel-efficient vehicles that contribute to a healthy environment. This approach to education allows the students to learn through hands on experiences. Students then go on to compete in numerous competitions throughout the United States, extending their knowledge to other students and instructors. The Electric Vehicle Program at Miramar High School thrives on this competitive environment to continually develop new educational objectives to make our world a better place to live.


Media Coverage

Miramar High School's electric vehicle program has been featured in a number of printed articles, published in The Miami Herald, the Ft Lauderdale Sun Sentinel, and the Miramar City Newsletter. Miramar's EV Program was also broadcast on News Radio 610 WIOD and in Broward County's countywide school broadcasts. Our vehicle makes numerous yearly appearances at local festivals, parades, and auto crosses. We also visit various middle and elementary schools, promoting environmental awareness of alternative fuel vehicles.

The Miramar High School program has added several television appearances to its repertoire. We were filmed by The Discovery Channel Canada at the 2005 Power of DC. The year 2007 was amazing for Miramar High; we were featured in Green Wheels on Voom Network. We were also featured on Big Ideas for a Small Planet in 2007. On March 16, 2008 we were featured on a television program called South Florida Voices on local channel 39 WDZL. Forecast Earth on the Weather Channel filmed a segment at Miramar High School which has aired numerous times from 2008-2010.


E-mail Contact

Please direct any questions concerning our program to Lowell@miramarev.com.


Copyright (c) Miramar EV 1996 - 2016