College of Engineering
Electrical Engineering Alumnus Drives Sustainability in UNL Course that expertise to teach engineering courses and supervise graduate
By Carole Wilbeck Don Cox, B.S. ’59 and M.S. ELEC ’60, gets the wheels turn-
research at Stanford University, where he had earned his Ph.D., but
ing for students in the UNL class he teaches, ELEC 498/898, Sec.
it was one of Cox’s sons who showed him the important possibilities
004 – Electric Vehicles. On Wednesday afternoons, the learning
of battery electric vehicles.
shifts from a Nebraska Hall classroom to a nearby parking lot, where Cox’s sleek, “radiant red” Tesla Roadster awaits. After initial oohs and ahhs, tours begin at the trunk – where
Transportation accounts for nearly one third of American energy use and greenhouse gas emissions and three-quarters of American oil consumption with crucial impacts on climate, air
the car’s batteries, power electronics and motor reside. Then, if they
pollution, resource depletion and national security, said Cox, who
wish, students take turns driving the car. After a five-minute loop
advocates battery electric vehicles as a viable way to help address
around campus, drivers return with what Cox calls “the Tesla smile.”
those challenges.
EE senior Kathleen Gegner described driving the roadster as “fun
Cox has been a member of the UNL Department of Electri-
Tesla Co-founder Martin Eberhard Visits Nebraska Engineering
cal Engineering’s Advisory Board and, when he and his wife moved
A radiant red Tesla Roadster in the
feel continues
back to Nebraska
parking lot of Nebraska Hall has earned
in the vehicle’s
from California’s
responsiveness: “It
Bay Area, he met
just takes off,” said
with Prof. Jerry
Gegner.
Hudgins, depart-
and fast,” with a surprisingly quiet operating noise. The sportscar
ment chair (who
This battery
admiration for its sleek sportscar lines and sustainability. The car belongs to Don Cox (in photo at left, standing, fourth from right, in gray sportcoat), who returned to Nebraska after retiring from an active career in mobile communica-
electric vehicle
drives a Nissan
tions (and most recently, teaching at
can accelerate
Leaf electric
Stanford University, where he earned his
from 0 to 60
vehicle), and
Ph.D.).
miles per hour
began shaping
Last fall, Cox taught a course on electric vehicles for UNL Electrical Engi-
in 3.9 seconds
this course. The
(quicker than
syllabus includes
most gasoline-
an introduction to
fueled sports cars),
past and present
Cox said, though
electric vehicles
its top speed is
and their evolu-
computer-limited
tion, plus deeper
to 125 mph.
study of the most
crowd by answering a variety of ques-
promising alterna-
tions about engineering and startups.
Cox happily offers demos of the car and answers questions, feeling that each
tive: battery electric vehicles. Class sessions delve into BEV issues
positive encounter fuels future electric vehicle ownership. His car,
including electric motors, power electronics, drive trains and battery
number 60 off the production line in 2008, cost $100,000 origi-
materials.
nally. Tesla Motors discontinued manufacturing of the two-seat
single charge?” – comes Cox’s frequent response: “It depends.” Road
Trend magazine’s Car of the Year for 2013), still aimed at the luxury
surface, vehicle speed and wind conditions – especially in Nebraska
buyer but with wider consumer appeal.
– are key factors, but he said when the car is fully-charged (which
tion, since he retired in 2012 from an active career in mobile communications, which included work as an executive director
to test drive the car. Best of all, Cox brought Martin Eberhard (fourth from left), his friend and co-founder of Tesla Motors, to speak at Nebraska Engineering. Eberhard, with degrees in computer and electrical engineering, wowed the
To the most common carside query – “How far can it go on a
roadsters in favor of sedans (its Model S was recently named Motor-
Learning about electric vehicles has become Cox’s new avoca-
neering, including field trips for students
takes three hours using the 240-volt outlet in Cox’s garage), the car typically goes 200 miles at 65 mph. EE senior Marques King said he’s enjoying Cox’s course: “It’s
and division manager of radio research at Bellcore; as a depart-
interesting and relevant,” and adds to the strength of the power
ment head, supervisor and member of Bell Laboratories’ technical
electronics program at Nebraska Engineering.
staff; and as a U.S. Air Force R&D officer. Most recently he shared
engineering.unl.edu
COLLEGES | Spring 2013 | 27