In 2011, the average car in the U.S. got about 34 miles per gallon. High school senior Rami Bedewi just built one that gets more than 200.
The 17-year-old Potomac resident will put his car to the test Jan. 30, with a 240-mile trip from New York City to Washington, D.C. — on one gallon of gas. Dubbed the “One Gallon Challenge,” it is the end result of a year’s worth of busy nights, weekends and vacations.
“I’ve been working on this for so long, I would really love for this to succeed,” he said. “I’ve also never driven it for so long, so I’m interested to see how it holds up.”
This project is not a requirement for Georgetown Preparatory School, which he attends. The challenge just gets him revved up.
Rami will not be alone for the eight-to-10-hour trek down back roads. He will be in constant radio communication with “lead” and “chase” cars that will provide technical support.
His plug-in hybrid was assembled using aftermarket parts, with the exception of its frame and circuitry, which Rami designed and built. The motor gets its energy from an electric battery and a gasoline powered generator.
Rami assembled ready made products in a way no one has before, said John Balbach, Rami’s AP physics teacher at Georgetown Prep.
“I have been impressed by all aspects of this project,” Balbach said. “Certainly we don’t tend to get a whole lot of students in our school capable of building a car. Beyond just being able to build it, being able to plan it, and knowing what goal he had in mind, he was also able to scare up funding for all of it. ”
Rami’s final hurdle might be getting the car registered with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. With only three wheels, it falls into the category of a motorcycle, which has made it harder to register, said Rami’s father, Nabih Bedewi. After getting no response from the MVA, the two reached out to Gov. Martin O’Malley. With the help of his staff, they are certain the car will be registered in time for the challenge.
“I think it’s fantastic,” Nabih Bedewi said.
An engineer by training who previously build a solar car, Nabih praised his son for balancing school, sports and building the car.
Interested in cars since childhood, Rami planned to build a car for his 16th birthday. That project morphed into the One Gallon Challenge. He does not understand why electric cars are not more popular; among the first cars were powered by electricity, he said.
“It’s been all downhill from there,” he said.
He used aftermarket parts to prove it is possible to build an affordable car that gets more than 200 miles to the gallon. He said high efficiency cars are better for the environment and the economy because they could lessen America’s dependence on foreign oil sources.
“It kind of sends a message that anybody can build a car like this,” he said. “It also shows that the car companies have all these resources and yet we’re still driving cars that get 30 miles per gallon.”
It is hard to say how much the car costs. Before Rami began, he agreed to keep his grades up, build a car his father certifies as safe and find sponsors.
The project was kick-started by his first donor, Sport Automotive Chevrolet in Silver Spring. Loaning big ticket items, a motor, controller, and workspace, was Ashburn, Va.-based NuGen Mobility Inc., which manufactures and sells high-efficiency vehicles and other machines. NuGen President Eric Takamura also will lead the trip from New York City to the District.
“I hope to go as far as I can,” Rami said. “Worst come to worst, I can fill 1/10 of the tank and call it the 1.1 gallon challenge
Live updates will be available on Jan. 30 at http://1gchallenge.com/NY-to-DC.html.
jablamsky@gazette.net
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