News
EV Cart Racing Club Hosts 4th Annual Electric Cart Race
Edison State Community College is committed to offering real-world experience to help students grow and learn the skills needed to succeed. The College’s EV Cart Racing Club—which brings students together to design, build, and race electric-powered carts—is one example of that commitment. The club recently hosted its fourth annual electric cart race at Edison State’s Piqua Campus.
August 4, 2026
(L to R): Noah Roy, Matthew Longfellow, Associate Professor Tom Looker, Jonathan Rodriguez, Avery Kellerman, Seth Weis
This year’s team, consisting of students Avery Kellerman, Matthew Longfellow, Jonathan Rodriguez, Noah Roy, and Seth Weis, competed in the race held with Graham Local Schools. Carts raced were limited to 48-volt motors and 2,500-Ahr battery systems, but everything else about them was open to design and creativity.
The 30-minute race, with a driver change at 15 minutes, was close, with Edison State’s 4.0 cart winning with 48 laps and the Edison State 3.0 cart placing second with 47 laps. Graham’s Cart 1 was on the same lap count and competing until late in the race when a belt broke.
“The EV Cart Racing Club at Edison State is helping students not only to learn design and how to build mechanical and electrical systems but also helping them to have fun racing and competing,” said Tom Looker, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and EV Cart Racing Club Advisor. “We hope to get more schools involved and competing in a race next year for the future of our young technical minds in west-central Ohio and beyond. It’s a win-win to see how much learning and racing can enhance the student experience and build skills to last a lifetime. Let’s race!”
Edison State’s club meets weekly in the fall and spring depending on students’ schedules, where they put ideas into action and use their hands to develop and create a race vehicle. The club is open to any student who wants a fun hands-on experience and is interested in engineering and technological machines.
Those interested in joining the EV Cart Racing Club should email Looker. Learn more about Edison State’s student clubs by visiting www.edisonohio.edu/clubs.