Even though on Feb. 2 the groundhog’s shadow indicated six more weeks of winter, UL Lafayette’s College of Engineering is hoping for a multitude of sunny days for semesters to come.
On Friday, Feb. 8, university officials accepted a donation of a SUV—a Solar Utility Vehicle—from Glenn DaGian, a 1972 graduate who is director of Government Affairs for BP in Texas.
The SUV is equipped with two electric motors totaling 30 horsepower and more than 170 pound-feet of torque, making it one of the most powerful all-terrain vehicles available. Attached to the top of the SUV is BP’s 185-watt solar panel, which augments the vehicle’s battery system and gives the SUV more range. The four-wheel drive vehicle is capable of seating four people, can carry up to 880 pounds and can maintain a speed of 20 miles per hour with a 30-mile range.
UL Lafayette engineering students will study the “solar buggy” to continue to learn how solar power can be harnessed as a practical energy source.
“ Very few schools can touch this type of technology,” said Dr. Mark Zappi, dean of Engineering. “Students will be able to study it and drive it. The benefits will go on for many years.”
DaGian, a political science graduate said the vehicle’s silent operation is an advantage and that the vehicle makes no pollution.
“ The SUV is primarily useful for wildlife parks, areas where noise or pollution is a problem,” said DaGian.
Current uses for the solar buggy include wildlife areas such as Yellowstone National Park and the Sandy Point State National Park in Maryland. Other uses include wilderness and beach terrains, and DaGian said the solar panel could be adapted to applications involving boats.
DaGian and BP are also working on a charging station that uses solar panels to recharge the SUV when not in use, eliminating the need to have an electrical source to charge the buggy.
“ My company is so progressive in these areas of alternative energy that they allow me the freedom to work on projects such as this.”
DaGian developed the solar panel and attached it to the vehicle, which was manufactured by Bad Boy Buggies in Natchez, Mississippi. The vehicle donated to UL Lafayette is the fourteenth SUV developed by DaGian, BP and Bad Boy Buggies.
The SUV was formally accepted by UL Lafayette President Dr. Ray Authement, Executive Director of University Advancement Ken Ardoin and Zappi.
“ I would love to be an engineering student here at UL Lafayette in these times,” said Authement. “We had students launch a satellite into space on a Russian missile last year. We had an autonomous vehicle in DARPA’s Grand Challenge. We also have students developing a solar house to be displayed in Washington D.C. And now, we have this gift that our students will be able to study. It’s amazing what this college and its faculty have been able to accomplish.”
DaGian met his wife—the former Elonide Innes, a ’71 nursing graduate—on campus, and they have been married for more than 34 years.
“ I lived a block off campus, DaGian said. “I had a great four years here. It was terrific.” “My foundation here at UL Lafayette helped me a lot.”
The DaGians have three sons: Danny, David and Darren.