• In 2012, we acquired a 1950’s box truck (formerly used to sell snacks) that we converted to run on 100% vegetable oil.
• Our current project is to make it run on vegetable oil; we are installing a system that will clean restaurant’s waste vegetable oil and feed it into the truck’s tank.

During events such as science fairs and school visits, we open up the inside of the truck for visitors to view. The inside contains a mobile environmental classroom that includes interactive, technology-enabled displays:

• An interactive display using solar cells
• An environment-themed mural painted on the box truck ceiling tiles
• A plexiglass display of the batteries involved in electric conversion
• A display of the AC-DC power convertor
• A display showing how the vegetable oil is used as a fuel source for the truck
• Educational video games with an environmental theme
• A demonstration of energy-efficient light bulbs versus traditional light bulbs, where visitors pedal a bike to light the bulbs
• Interactive display “Is This Recyclable?”
• Interactive display “How do Solar Cells Produce Energy?”
• An Arduino that displays the solar energy (irradiance) collected by solar panels (measured in Watts/meter^2)

The picture above shows the interior of the truck. The electric-powered minibike is on the left. The on/off the grid display is on the right. This photograph was taken at the Philadelphia Auto Show in 2018.

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