KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2011 / NEWS /
TECHNOLOGY
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Kansan speaks about advanced cars
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Learn about the new model of electric cars, they're up and downs, and more
BY IAN CUMMINGS icummings@kansan.com
Paul Wilbur, Kansas native and executive at Aptera Motors in California, gave a talk at Summerfield Hall on Thursday. His topic was the future of electric cars. Wilbur earned his bachelor's degree and an MBA in finance from the University. He has been an automotive professional for 26 years, working for Jeep, Dodge Car, Chrysler and Mitsubishi. He now works for Aptera, a company specializing in the design of electric cars. He sat down with representatives of the media before his talk on Thursday. Below is an edited version of the interview.
Q: Why is there a lot of momentum behind the idea of electric vehicles right now?
the federal deficit that everyone is fighting over. It's all about oil.
A: Oil. In the 1960s, America was the largest producer of oil in the world. Now, every year we consume 15 million barrels more than we produce. That's $500 billion, which is about the amount of
Q: What problems stand between the electric car and widespread adoption by the public?
the price of oil goes up,it's good for me.
A: The battery. Now, lithium ion batteries give us the energy density to go 100 miles. The compromise is distance. Our goal is to have a vehicle that has no compromises.
Q: What will Aptera's cars cost?
Q: Your cars are available in California now. Is there a timeline for the rest of the country?
President and CEO of Motera Motors Paul Wilbur discusses the electric car industry with students at Spenser Art Museum Auditorium March 10, 2011. Global energy and environmental challenges make electric car concepts promising for investors.
A: The timetable is bounded by capital constraints. Once the capital is there, I think we'll move very quickly. President Obama said that he wanted to see one and a half million electric and hybrid cars on the road in the next few years. I believe in that. The Department of Energy has said that by 2020, the number should be doubled and buy 2030 they should make up half the cars out there. I think those numbers are way off - it all depends on the price of oil. I'm probably the only guy in the country who, when
Q: What is your company's core engineering strength?
A: We have multiple vehicles: two-doors, four-doors, pure electrics, hybrids. They range from the high $20,000s to the low $40,000s, depending on the features. Very affordable is the key for us, the heart of the market.
Q: Some of your models have an unusual appearance. Is that a question of aesthetics or engineering?
A: The two-door has a very distinctive look; the four-door is more conventional-looking. We're trying to make a dramatic point. This is the future. But it's also about aerodynamics. The two-door was literally made in a wind tunnel. The first principles of engineering are: make it light and make it aerodynamic.
A: The cars' composite construction body. The battery and the motor train are made by other firms, but our bodies can withstand 35 mile-per-hour impacts with a concrete wall and the passenger walks away. You can hit it with a sledgehammer and it won't dent. And my father was in construction, I know how to swing a sledgehammer.
Q: What will be your main message to the students today?
A: A good engineering background and business background are crucial in the world today. America has had problems in education in terms of keeping up with technology. But when we started looking at making electric cars, we found that all the technology was here. I'm really happy with what the EcoHawks have been doing - a few years ago, that wasn't here.
— Edited by Sarah Gregory
LOCAL
Travic Vogue/Photo Illustration/KANCAN
The New Tradition Coalition hopes to stop fake ID usage. They hope to raise alcoholism awareness.
Coalition creates new initiatives for awareness
BY MEG LOWRY mlowry@kansan.com
If you clicked on a Facebook ad last semester offering fake IDs in Lawrence, you're not alone. More than 5,000 other people did, too.
The ad was created by the New Tradition Coalition, an organization that includes law enforcement, local bar owners and school and health officials. The ad was just one of the coalition's efforts to increase awareness about alcohol abuse and underage drinking.
"The number of people that we have documented as clicking on the ad were between the ages of 16 and 20," said Jen Jordan, director of prevention for the Douglas County Citizens Committee on Alcoholism. "This is just representative of the fact that underage drinking is a big issue in Lawrence and at KU."
In the spring of 2010, the project "Fake ID 101" was launched. The Lawrence Police Department, the Douglas County Sheriffs Department, the KU Public Safety Office, the DCCCA and the Alcoholic Beverage Patrol all combined forces to enact it.
When Fake ID 101 began, its main method for combatting underage drinking was to send officers into bars to ask patrons for identification. Officers were out on four separate nights and gave out 48 citations for alcohol violations.
KU Public Safety Office captain Schuyler Bailey said that when teams go out, they are made up of police, sheriff and University officers.
"This just wasn't working," Jordan said. "Kids would immediately set down their drinks and walk away or go to the bathroom. The officers stood out and anyone who was underage would leave."
Last fall, officers were out on nine separate nights. Overall, 731 IDs were checked, 105 citations were written for minors in possession of alcohol and 60 citations were written for fake IDs.
The increase in citations was due the officers' new methods, which included wearing plain clothes, checking IDs outside bars and liquor stores, patrolling the KU area on football game days and visiting house parties.
Alycia Futrella, a manager at On The Rocks liquor store, said officers have visited the store and stood at the end of check-out lanes to check IDs of customers.
"Fake IDs are probably more likely to be used at bars than at liquor stores," Futrelle said. "Bars are darker; it's harder to see the picture. And when a customer uses a credit card, we check to make sure it matches the name on their ID."
"When you are in a college town, it is reasonable to think that kids are from all over the country," Jordan said. "Kansas IDs are more difficult to fraud. When kids buy fake IDs online, they are almost always out of state."
To help with this issue, the New Tradition Coalition will provide bars and liquor stores with a book that has a photo of every state ID and its marking characteristics.
Jordan said it was often hard for clerks or doormen to spot fake IDs because state IDs change so often.
"A lot of students are either getting fake IDs to take on spring break or getting them when they get there," Jordan said. "Destinations like Florida and Mexico have spots set up that have them for sale, so officers will be looking for these."
As spring break nears, Jordan said bar and liquor store employees would be warned to look for an increase of fake IDs.
- Edited by Marla Daniels
The exact dates of bar and liquor store visits were not disclosed. The possession of a borrowed, altered or fake ID may result in fines up to $2,500 and one year in jail.
BASKETBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
— Edited by Helen Mubarak
Sprint Center in Grandview, Mo., said playing at home always got him fired up, and promises a good show today.
"I'll always come back to Kansas City and put on a great show," he said. "It's love, because I'm from here, so I love playing in Kansas City."
If Burks, the leading scorer in the league does put on a great show, it won't be the first time
Higgins has posted 16.5 points per game against the Jayhawks, but as good as the pair has been against Kansas, they were even better in advancing to the semifinals.
this season against Kansas. In two games against the Jayhawks, he's averaging 20 points per.
Burks put up 16 in the first half, while Higgins largely deferred. Then when the Wildcats shifted their defensive focus to Burks, the
"I'm 19, so I'm young. I got a lot of legs under me," Burks said. "But I think we're hungry, we've got the toughness, and we can bounce back to be ready for Kansas tomorrow."
game. As the fifth seed, Colorado had to play Wednesday as well. Burks isn't worried though.
game opened up for Higgins, who had 19 of his 28 in the second.
"I think me and Alec really feed off of each other," Higgins said. "I mean, throughout the year we talked to each other during the game. And, I mean, it's hard for teams to shut down both of us, so we just tried to pick each other up during the game."
One advantage the lajayhawks may have? They've played one less
FUNDING (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
DCAP, Headquarters, GaDuGi and the Willow Center are off-campus non-profitts that provide a range of mental, sexual and physical health services to students and Lawrence residents for free.
rest beginning in two years. More than 600 students were invited to an anti-cuts Facebook group and nearly 100 signed a petition.
Senate chief of staff Aaron Dollinger said the committee did not seek to completely remove funding, but rather move it out
But those who oppose the cuts say the advocacy and education on sexual assault, domestic violence, HIV prevention and suicide intervention that the groups provide are critical to student health.
of the activity fee because the four groups do not constitute student activities.
"My hope is that no one would need these services, but if someone needs these services, I would hope they would be there for the students." Blankers said.
Student Senate treasurer David Cohen said the cuts to the four health groups were not proposed to increase funding to any other particular group.
"A lot of the anger is because people don't quite understand," Dollinger said.
Olivia Burchett, the outreach coordinator for DCAP, said cutting funding to her organization or any of the others would "be a great disservice to all students."
JT Hammons, a junior from
"Frankly, it's bullshit," he said. "All of senate's money comes from students. I want' them to fund things students care about and to tell students what they're doing."
Valley Falls, said he wanted senators to speak plainly and be open about their proposals.
Student Senate will vote on the cuts at 6:30 p.m. March 16 in the Kansas Room of the Kansas Union.
— Edited by Marla Daniels
GEOHAWKS (CONTINUED FROM TAB)
snapping photographs every 10 to 15 seconds. The students will calculate the probable flight path of the balloon based on its weight, speed and the prevailing wind. It must withstand temperatures as low as -76 degrees and conform to Aviation Administration regulations that include radar reflectors and the ability of the tail to break if struck by an aircraft.
If all goes as planned, the balloon will drift over Lawrence and collect images of the city and rural areas from a wide range of heights. As it passes by, the students will track it using GPS units broadcasting coordinates through a radio transmitter and a cellu-
The team is still debating whether to inflate the balloon with helium or hydrogen. Hydrogen is lighter and cheaper but also explosive. Both Miller and Callihan said that nothing in the vehicle was likely to spark the hydrogen and cause a fiery end to the vehicle. But Callihan said that some Project GeoHawk members worried that the mention of
hydrogen could alarm spectators including the middle school class invited to attend the launch.
"We're in limbo on that right now," he said.
lar phone. Callihan said that his Android phone supported an app designed for this type of tracking, but could not yet say if it would be his phone to go up with the balloon.
LOCAL
- Edited by Tali David
BY PAT MUELLER pmueller@kansan.com
Chief of Police improves enforcement
Tarkik Khatib, who was named Lawrence police chief two weeks ago, plans to improve law enforcement in the city through prevention, education and the concentration of department resources.
Khatib, former interim police chief for six months, said the first goal of his three-pronged plan was to make housing and businesses in Lawrence physically less susceptible to crime.
"For example, if you go to an apartment complex, put good lighting around it, well lit paths." Khatib said. "Instead of having a cheap wood fence, spend a little money to get the iron kind that you can see through."
The second component of Khatib's plan would be to educate members of the community about protecting themselves from crime. Khatib said this would include improving transparency and communication between the police department and the public. David
"I think that the police department needs to continue to find ways to communicate with the public," Corliss said. "Fifteen years ago we weren't so concerned with website communication. Now, that's where most people are getting their information so it's important to have that presence."
Corliss, Lawrence city manager,
shares this goal.
During the last few months, the Lawrence Police Department has improved its website by including an interactive crime map and 911 call log. It also shares information through Facebook.
prevent being a VICTIM OF CRIME according to Lawrence Police Chief Tarik Khatib
how to:
By following these simple guidelines suggested by Lawrence Police Chief Tarik Khatib, you can help reduce the amount of crime that happens to you and in your community.
2) Plan ahead when going out so that you are less likely to be victimized
1) Don't leave your expensive things visible in your vehicle; take your things inside with you
Khatib's third goal is to address internal issues. Khatib said the majority of crimes are committed by a small percentage of the population. He said he wanted to use resources more efficiently by focusing on the people more likely to commit crimes.
3) If you go out to a bar, go out with friends and take care of each other
4) Think like a bad guy, if you think you are in a situation where you might be taken advantage of, fix it
Both Khatib and Corliss agree the department is running well, but there are areas to improve.
5) if you can't think of any solution to a predicament you, might be in, call the police for help
"I follow a philosophy of continuous improvement," Corliss said.
"That's true for any city department. There's always opportunities to improve."
Khatib also said he hoped to better address student crime. The department is changing the way it educates young victims through the Internet and is also increasing communication with student perpetrators.
Corrliss and Khatib said they hoped these measures would
reduce crime and help the department's relationship with citizens.
"Our commitment to the public is high," Khatib said. "We want to treat people right, to listen to them; we want to give them the time to explain their side. We're constantly reminded we have to earn our badge every day."
Edited by Helen Mubarak