Alfred University to display EV at New York State Fair

Mark Zupan, Alfred University president (on motorcycle), is joined by students at the 2025 Undergraduate Research Forum. The students who worked on the EV dirt bike for their engineering capstone project, are, from left: William Denton, Abigail Gatza, Ty Nagel, Briana Hayes, Alyssa Smith, Brandon German, Aidan Ploss, and Grant Watson. All are 2025 graduates with bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering.

A group of Alfred University students and faculty will be at the New York State Fair in August to exhibit an electric utility task vehicle (UTV) that was the subject of a 2024 engineering capstone project.

Alfred University is among three universities chosen to showcase electric vehicles during the State Fair, scheduled for Aug. 20-Sept. 1 in Syracuse. The other two are Binghamton University and Rochester Institute of Technology, which will display a race car and electric bicycle, respectively.

The Alfred University group's UTV will be on display from Aug. 25-28 in the Science & Industry Building at the booth of the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York. They will lead hands-on learning activities for youngsters visiting the display and engage visitors on the importance of batteries and clean energy and work being done in New York State to promote renewable energy technology.

David Gottfried, director of the Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology (CACT) at Alfred University, and John Simmins, director of the university's GE Vernova Advanced Power Grid Lab, will supervise students staffing a booth at the display, providing details of the electric vehicle and the associated capstone project. The group will discuss their interest in and work with EVs; lead hands-on activities for youngsters and other visitors, including a game, Battery Feud; welcome visitors to the booth and encourage them to complete a short survey related to battery technology; distribute information about the electric engine, battery technology, and related careers; and hand out giveaways to booth visitors.

Xingwu Wang, professor of electrical engineering in Alfred University's Inamori School of Engineering, was the academic advisor for the project. For the last several years, Wang has been advising students on capstone projects focused on developing EVs.

"Every year we have a project related to electric vehicles," Wang said, noting that students who complete the project learn about the electrical driving system, including batteries, controllers, and electric motors. "The goal is to teach students about EVs so they have the ability to work on them."

The UTV project that will be showcased in Syracuse was completed in spring 2024 and presented at that year's Undergraduate Research Forum. The objective of students who worked on that project was to develop an electric UTV that retains the performance and functionality of its traditional counterpart while gaining the benefits of electric propulsion. By integrating a 144-volt electric motor and a cutting-edge battery monitoring system (BMS) dedicated to the oversight of the battery pack, students aimed to create a machine capable of meeting the demands of various terrains and tasks, without compromising on efficiency or power.

Mark Zupan, Alfred University president (in utility task vehicle), is joined by students at the 2024 Undergraduate Research Forum. The students who worked on the EV UTV for their engineering capstone project, are, from left: Connor Kerr, Mykayla Deyarmin, Sean Heckman, Mac Caccamise, Christopher Callahan, and Blaker Angel. All are 2024 graduates with bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering.

"The potential environmental, economic, and operational advantages of such a conversion are substantial," the project's abstract stated, noting the benefits of reduced carbon emissions, lower operational costs, and quieter operation. "Through this research, we seek to contribute to the advancement of sustainable solutions in off-road applications, paving the way for a greener and more efficient future."

Students who developed the electric UTV for their capstone project included 2024 graduates Blake Angel, Max Caccamise, Christopher Callahan, MyKayla Deyarmin, and Connor Kerr, and January 2025 graduate Sean Heckman. All earned bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering.

The UTV project preceded the most recent Electric Vehicle capstone project, conducted during the 2024-25 academic year and presented at the spring 2025 Undergraduate Research Forum. That project sought to efficiently convert a Yamaha YZ250F motorcycle into an electric dirt bike that follows American Motocross Association rules and guidelines. Students in the capstone were split into three subgroups of three students each. The engineering students, all of whom graduated in May with bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering, presented their research at Alfred University's Undergraduate Research Forum in April. Following are the three completed sub-projects:

• "Analysis of Rear Sprocket Size, QS138 Cooling System and Brake Pad Material of Yamaha YZ250F," completed by students Abigail Gatza, Briana Hayes, and Yener Sesmas. The group achieved a variety of goals, including optimization of rear sprocket sizes for racing applications, redesigning the electric motor to accommodate different cooling systems, and optimizing the motorcycle's braking system.
• "Electric Conversion and Optimization of a Yamaha YZ250F Battery and Motor," completed by students Ty Nagel, Brandon German, and Aidan Ploss. The group studied the electric conversion of the dirt bike, which involved removing the internal combustion engine and replacing it with a fully-electric power train. The goal was to reduce the environmental impact of the internal combustion engine through the conversion to electric while maintaining the vehicle's performance.
• "The Study of a Yamaha YZ250F Suspension and Tire System," completed by students Alyssa Smith, Grant Watson, and Will Denton. The group focused on optimizing the bike's suspension and tires, which is essential to overall performance. Various tests were run, which tire skid tests, suspension sag test (which measures how much the bike's suspension compresses under various weights), and simulations to measure tire deformation and suspension performance.

The Alfred University contingent's four-day stay in Syracuse and participation in the EV exhibition is supported by a National Science Foundation-funded grant the University received to support a workforce training program-titled "Training College Students in Battery Degradation and Remaining Useful Life Prediction Using Machine Learning"-which is aimed at advancing regional and national battery and energy storage labor readiness. The program is supported by $160,644 in NSF grant funding, administered through the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York: Generating Regional Opportunities in Workforce (GROW) program. Its goal is to help prepare engineering students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the battery and energy storage job market.

Kun Wang, associate professor of materials science and engineering in Alfred University's Inamori School of Engineering, is principal investigator for the project and an instructor for the class. Gabrielle Gaustad '04, dean of the Inamori School of Engineering; Scott Misture '90, '94 PhD, Inamori professor of materials science and engineering; and Xingwu Wang, professor of electrical engineering, serve as project co-investigators.