This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
Members of the Workshop School’s Hybrid X Team work on their Factory Five 818 sports car. The car, which can run at 100 miles per hour, operates on biodiesel that the students produced from doughnut oil. In June, team members from the West Philadelphia high school and their teachers were chosen to participate in the first-ever White House Maker Faire to exhibit the car. They were among dozens of students, entrepreneurs, and others from around the country who were invited because of their innovative use of tools and techniques to launch new businesses and learn vital STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills. The school has been building award-winning electric, hybrid, and alternative-fuel vehicles since 1998.