Henry Ford once said of his famed auto, “You can have any color you want, as long as it is black.” How things have changed! Today’s cars come in a variety of colors and styles. But in Kishwaukee College’s Automotive Technology department, color and style are almost irrelevant. It is the engineering that matters most. Tim Banasiak, Automotive Technology (AMT) instructor said, “The days of the backyard mechanic are long gone. Today’s cars are computerized and much more complex. Mechanics need specialized training. That’s where we come in.”
An excellent example, according to Banasiak, is the hybrid car. Engineered to be both fuel efficient and environmentally friendly, the hybrid is a combination of the traditional gas-powered combustion engine and an electric motor. The unusual and complicated engineering is the focus of several AMT classes at Kishwaukee.
Tim Banasiak, pictured center in the Santa hat, has one wish this holiday season: a used Toyota Prius for the Automotive Technology department at Kishwaukee College. According to Banasiak, Prius’ one-of-a-kind engineering requires hands-on training on the actual vehicle for students. Banasiak said, “For Prius owners in the area, this is really a win-win: they can donate a used Prius and know that their donation will benefit them in the long run: there will be local mechanics who can work on their new Prius!” For information on donating to Kishwaukee College, contact the Kishwaukee College Foundation at 815-825-2086, ext. 4670 or email Marshall Hayes, Director of the Kishwaukee College Foundation at marshall.hayes@kishwaukeecollege.edu.
“The only way to learn to maintain and repair a hybrid is to learn about them in a classroom and then roll up your sleeves and get under the hood,” stated Banasiak. The AMT department has a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid donated by Brian Bemis a couple of years ago. But what the College doesn’t have and needs is the best selling and most popular hybrid, the Toyota Prius. “We don’t have a Prius for the students to work on and I wish we did,” Banasiak said. “You could say that a used Prius is all I want for Christmas!”
Banasiak’s wish for a Prius is well-founded. Since launching worldwide in 2001, the Prius is the most poplar hybrid on the market, and one of the best selling cars in general. There are over two million Prius cars on the road worldwide. According to Car and Driver magazine, over 97% of that number are still on the road. The need for qualified automotive tech professionals who can work on the Prius is increasing with every new model year.
The Prius’ engineering is what makes it so popular – it can feel like a “regular” car on the road – and what also sets it apart from other hybrids. Toyota is the only car manufacturer that boasts the Hybrid
Synergy Drive as its drive train technology and it is used in the Prius. In certain driving situations, it is the HSD allows the Prius to run on the electric motor only. Other hybrids do not. In addition, the Prius is the only hybrid that combines an electric drive with a gearset that performs like a continuously variable transmission. All of these engineering quirks make working on a real Prius a priority in automotive education.
Banasiak said, “I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted a Prius for AMT for Christmas. If anyone would like to donate a Prius, the students would appreciate it! It would help the donor with taxes and would help our students learn to work on the most popular and unique car on the market.”
Anyone interested in donating a used Prius should contact the Kishwaukee College Foundation.
Banasiak added, “For Prius owners in the area, this is really a win-win: they can donate a used Prius and know that their donation will benefit them in the long run: there will be local mechanics who can work on their new Prius!”
For information on donating to Kishwaukee College, contact the Kishwaukee College Foundation at 815-825-2086, ext. 4670 or email Marshall Hayes, Director of the Kishwaukee College Foundation at marshall.hayes@kishwaukeecollege.edu.
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