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TRANSPORTATION EDUCATION CENTER CHANGE IS ON THE WAY The world is on the threshold of profound changes in transportation. While electric vehicles and hybrids are still a minority on today’s roads, and driverless vehicles are in their infancy, the trends in the transportation industry are unmistakable. “This means CVTC’s future and past graduates will need to know how to service cars that are designed and powered
differently,” said CVTC President Bruce Barker. “While these are exciting advancements, it is impossible to provide adequate training in our outdated, undersized learning labs that were designed and built in the 1960s.” A centerpiece of CVTC’s facilities plans, as outlined in the proposed referendum, is construction of a Transportation Education Center (TEC) at the West Campus. The facility would allow CVTC to keep up with the changes in the transportation sector of the economy and ensure that students would be trained for today’s jobs and the jobs of the future.
HIGH TECH TAKES OVER TRANSPORTATION There are big things on the horizon when it comes to transportation technology, but what’s under the hood already presents challenges that CVTC students must meet. “We’re working on integrating the higher tech components – the more advanced computer controls, hybrid systems, electric vehicles and all the computer controls and diagnostics that go with that,” Adam Wehling, dean of agriculture, energy and transportation, said. “Electronics is becoming increasingly more important in all transportation programs. We teach it now, but not to the extent we need to.” Some of the current Automotive Technician lab’s hoists, lifts and diagnostic equipment are coming to the end of their useful life, Wehling stated. It’s time to replace and upgrade. But a big part of the plan for TEC is to get ready for what’s to come. “Automated systems in vehicles are being inserted in everything from cars to forklifts, to trucks and even agricultural equipment,” Wehling said. “As we get more advanced functions in our vehicles, the transition to autonomous driving vehicles is going to be much easier.” There are already vehicles on the market that can park themselves, lane-assist technology, adaptive cruise control and
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collision avoidance. In power systems, the market is seeing traditional gasoline and diesel engines, electric, hybrids and compressed natural gas (CNG). The need for servicing such technology will only increase. “We have no current facilities to teach on CNG vehicles, as we don’t have a CNG-compliant building with maintenance bays,” Wehling said. “About 65 percent of Kwik Trip trucks, for example, are fueled by CNG. Our students are only getting traditional diesel engine training.”