Miller and students with their recently delivered Switch Vehicle kit.
The School’s First Electric Vehicle has been a Game Changer
Adding a Switch vehicle to the automotive curriculum at Clovis West High School has been a game changer. It’s the school’s first electric vehicle and is helping students prepare for the rapidly-changing automotive job market.
Automotive instructor Mike Miller and Learning Director, Karen Boone lead the effort to purchase the vehicle as part of the Clean Fuels Transportation Pilot Career Opportunity Project, funded by the California Energy Commission in partnership with the Advanced Transportation & Logistics sector of the California Community Colleges and Cerritos Community College District.
Miller, a 35-year veteran of the automotive industry, attended a Switch vehicle training session in August and could not wait for the school year to begin so he could start working on the Switch with his Automotive 2 and Automotive 3 students.
“The students are excited to do something cutting edge, and this is where the future is going for automotive,” Miller said. “It mixes old and new together. Students have to understand electrical theory, but they still have to know how to align the tires and build the frame.”
Miller said the Switch has also drawn interest from Clovis West’s robotics team and other students who would not have been drawn to a traditional automotive shop. Miller said he’s also seen increases in the number of female students who are interested in the automotive program.
All of those students come together, not only to work on the vehicle but to tackle some big questions about alternative fuels and the environment.
“You see the conversation taking place, which is something that we don’t normally see in an auto shop,” Miller said.
Working with electric vehicles also introduces students to the concept that learning does not stop once they leave the classroom. In order to thrive in the automotive industry, they will need to always be thinking on their feet and adapting to changing technologies.
“Dealerships need people who get electronics, and this is a way to get them interested in efficiency so they start thinking along those lines,” Miller said. “Technology keeps changing, and they need to be lifelong learners. Using the Switch vehicle puts us as a school that’s teaching those skills going forward.”
Miller said he’s thankful to be part of this pilot program and enjoys introducing electric vehicles to the next generation of consumers and technicians.
“If they apply themselves and keep learning, my students will be ready to fill high skill, high paying jobs.”
