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Autonomous Electric Vehicles of the Future

Difficulty: Grade 11-12
Time: 60-90 mins
Categories: Smart Vehicles

In this lesson, students will learn about autonomous electric vehicles. They will understand how traditional combustion engines contribute to greenhouse gases and discover how electric vehicles can provide a cleaner, zero-emission alternative for transportation.

Get Started
What this lesson includes
Lesson Content
Greenhouse Gases, Combustion Engines
Real-World Example

E-Tuk Tuk Project

Coding Tutorial
Block-based
Assessment
Triangulated Assessment Options
Educator Resources
Finished Code Link
Quickstart Guide

Looking for more resources? Look  here.

Learning Goals

  • Describe how greenhouse gases in the environment accelerate climate change
  • Understand the combustion engine and how it works
  • Explore how electric vehicles can support a greener future
  • Build a prototype of an electric vehicle that:
    • Uses sonar sensors to detect objects
    • Uses conditionals to trigger different actions

Materials

  • Climate Action Kit or Smart Vehicles Kit
  • micro:bit V2
  • Computer with access to Microsoft MakeCode
  • Different small objects to use as obstacles

Get to Know the Content

  1. Make sure you've completed our 'Getting Started with the Climate Action Kit' course
  2. If it has been awhile, review the kit components featured in this lesson:
  3. Review the lesson

Big Idea (40 minutes)

Learn how autonomous electric vehicles transform transportation by exploring the environmental costs of traditional combustion engines and their role in greenhouse gas emissions. Discover how electric vehicles provide a sustainable, zero-emission alternative.

Take Action (45 minutes)

Build your own electric vehicle with the Climate Action Kit!

We've provided 3 ways students may build the project to support scaffolding and differentiation in your classroom: 'Use', 'Modify', and 'Create'.*

Activity Description
Use

Students will follow a step-by-step tutorial to build & test how their electric vehicle responds to obstacles.

Success Criteria

I can:

  • build an electric car with the Climate Action Kit
  • use the sonar sensor to measure if there are objects in its path

Resources

Tutorial
Final Code
Modify

Students will follow a step-by-step tutorial to build their electric vehicle. After this, they will modify the code to improve the responsiveness of their vehicle.

Success Criteria

I can:

  • build an electric car with the Climate Action Kit
  • use the sonar sensor to stop my electric car when it encounters an obstacle
  • use conditionals to trigger specific actions based on input
  • use a variable to create a way to turn my electric car on and off

Resources

Tutorial
Final Code
Create

Students will work in small groups to research electric vehicles build and design a prototype with the Climate Action Kit.

Success Criteria

I can build an electric car with the Climate Action Kit that uses:

  • the sonar sensor to stop when it encounters an obstacle
  • conditionals to trigger specific actions based on input
  • a variable to create a way to turn my electric car on and off

Resources

Blank Project

*Irene Lee, Fred Martin, Jill Denner, Bob Coulter, Walter Allan, Jeri Erickson, Joyce Malyn-Smith, and Linda Werner. 2011. Computational thinking for youth in practice. Acm Inroads 2, 1 (2011), 32–37.

Use the following criteria to assess student learning. Students can:

Conversations

  • Define combustion engine
  • Describe how greenhouse gases in the environment accelerate climate change
  • Explain why using electric vehicles will help climate action
  • Explain the purpose of each smart component and building block in the main build (Use, Modify, Create)
  • Explain the purpose of loops and conditional statements and variables in the starter code (Use, Modify, Create)

Observations

  • Methodically test and debug their code to ensure it functions as intended (Modify, Create)

Products

  • Add comments to the code to demonstrate their understanding of each block (Use, Modify)
  • Add to the condition statement actions to improve movement of the electric vehicle (Modify, Create)
  • Design their own electric vehicle that satisfies the provided criteria (Create)

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Common Career Technical Core Standards

STEM Cluster: Engineering & Technology Career Pathway

ST-ET 1.3 Use computer applications to solve problems by creating and using algorithms, and through simulation and modeling techniques.

ST-ET 2.1 Select and use information technology tools to collect, analyze, synthesize and display data to solve problems.

ST-ET 3.1 Use knowledge, techniques, skills and modern tools necessary for engineering practice.

ST-ET 3.2 Describe the elements of good engineering practice (e.g., understanding customer needs, planning requirements analysis, using appropriate engineering tools, prototyping, testing, evaluating and verifying).

ST-ET 3.4 Illustrate the ability to characterize a plan and identify the necessary engineering tools that will produce a technical solution when given a problem statement.

ST-ET 4.1 Explain why and how the contributions of great innovators are important to society.

ST-ET 4.2 Explain the elements and steps of the design process and tools or techniques that can be used for each step.

ST-ET 4.3 Describe design constraints, criteria, and trade-offs in regard to variety of conditions (e.g., technology, cost, safety, society, environment, time, human resources, manufacturability).

ST-ET 5.1 Apply the design process using appropriate modeling and prototyping, testing, verification and implementation techniques.

ST-ET 5.2 Demonstrate the ability to evaluate a design or product and improve the design using testing, modeling and research.

ST-ET 5.3 Demonstrate the ability to record and organize information and test data during design evaluation.

ST-ET 6.1 Apply the use of algebraic, geometric, and trigonometric relationships, characteristics and properties to solve problems.

ST-ET 6.2 Apply the process and concepts for science literacy relative to engineering and technology.

ST-ET 6.4 Apply basic laws and principles relevant to engineering and technology.

STEM Cluster: Science and Math Career Pathway

ST-SM 1.1 Apply science and mathematics concepts and principles to resolve plans, projects, processes, issues or problems through methods of inquiry.

ST-SM 1.2 Use the skills and abilities in science and mathematics to access, share, and use data to develop plans, processes, projects and solutions.

ST-SM 1.3 Use the skills and abilities in science and mathematics to integrate solutions related to technical or engineering activities using the content and concepts related to the situations.

ST-SM 1.4 Explain the role of modeling in science and engineering.

ST-SM 1.5 Explain the use of models and simulation in hypothesis testing (i.e., the scientific method).

ST-SM 1.6 Communicate with others on inquiry or resolution of issues/problems in the global community.

ST-SM 2.1 Demonstrate the ability to recognize cause and effect when faced with assigned projects or issues.

ST-SM 2.4 Predict the outcomes based on data collected in a project or experiment.

ST-SM 2.8 Draw a conclusion when confronted with data or observations that focus on the observed plans, processes, or projects at hand.

ST-SM 2.9 Analyze change as a result of data differences and changing environmental values.

ST-SM 2.10 Research a topic, collect data, analyze the data and draw conclusions from the results.

ST-SM 2.11 Use qualitative and quantitative skills to conduct a simple scientific survey; use the data to draw a conclusion based on the analysis.

ST-SM 3.1 Evaluate the impact of science on society based on products and processes used in the real world.

ST-SM 3.2 Evaluate the impact of mathematics on society based on products and processes used in the real world.

ST-SM 3.3 Research how science and mathematics influence the professions and occupations supported by the STEM Career Cluster.

Information Technology Cluster: Programming & Software Development Career Pathway

IT-PRG 4.1 Employ tools in developing software applications.

IT-PRG 6.1 Explain programming language concepts.

IT-PRG 6.3 Demonstrate proficiency in developing an application using an appropriate programming language.

IT-PRG 6.4 Explain basic software systems implementation.

IT-PRG 7.1 Develop a software test plan.

IT-PRG 7.2 Perform testing and validation.