Students at an automotive class at the A-tech High School in Greenpoint are learning how to fix electric cars – a first for the school.

Pridejoy Chitoli and Bakari Hinton are some of the students in this class of 27 students. They said they are eager and excited to learn about this new technology.

“Like, how they have regenerative braking at a stop,” Hinton said. “So, when you take your foot off the gas, the car stops automatically.”

The New York City Department of Education and the car rental company Hertz announced a partnership in September. So far, electric cars have been donated by Hertz to four schools, including A-tech. The city is aiming to make their fleet of vehicles all electric at some point in the future.  

There were two Nissan Leaf cars and one Polestar car in the mechanic-shop classroom. Kenny Tamassar is a mechanic by trade and the class’s teacher. 

“They’re getting hands-on experience,” Tamassar said.

Tamassar said the work students do in the classroom is also helping them get certifications so they can work in an automotive shop after graduation.