QUTE: The Girls Who Built an Electric Ute
Share
QUTE: The Girls Who Built an Electric Ute — And Why Real Engineering Still Matters
Oz Electric Vehicles | Engineering Education | Australian Innovation
Give a group of determined schoolgirls a rusty old ute, some electric vehicle components and access to practical engineering knowledge. What could possibly happen?
At Queenwood School in Sydney, the answer was QUTE, a remarkable student-led project that transformed a derelict 1975 Suzuki Carry into a road-registered electric vehicle.
Beginning in 2022, the project brought together students from Years 8–12 under the guidance of engineer and teacher Andrew Draper, head of the school's Advanced Technologies and Engineering program.
Graeme Manietta, founder of Oz Electric Vehicles, contributed the Suzuki Carry donor vehicle and EV conversion components, supporting an ambitious project in which students would undertake the restoration and learn how an electric vehicle is actually built.
It was never going to be a quick assembly exercise.
The original vehicle arrived without an engine, gearbox or even seats. Rust removal, mechanical restoration and rebuilding had to come before the electrical conversion could begin.
From Rusty Ute to Electric Engineering
The project initially attracted 16 students who volunteered their afternoons, sometimes even their lunch breaks, to work on the vehicle.
They dismantled and documented components, removed redundant mechanical systems and progressively developed skills across automotive restoration and electrical engineering.
Their work extended to painting, wiring, brake lines, steering and suspension, while specialist professionals undertook structural welding and other safety-critical tasks.
The electric conversion incorporated repurposed Nissan Leaf battery components and an electric motor, creating an opportunity to explore both modern propulsion technology and the practical reuse of existing automotive resources.
The vehicle's distinctive timber rear tray added another dimension to the restoration, combining traditional fabrication and craftsmanship with electric vehicle technology. Solar charging was also part of the project's original operating concept.
For Graeme, whose own EV conversion work began in Brisbane in 2007, the project demonstrated how industry-developed technology could be placed directly into the hands of young people prepared to learn.
Four Years Later and A Remarkable Achievement
By 2026, the students had completed the transformation. Queenwood reports that QUTE became Australia's first road-registered electric vehicle built from the ground up by school students.
Consider what that represents.
A vehicle that began as a deteriorating collection of automotive components became a working, road-registered electric ute through years of persistence, research, practical skills and teamwork.
It also demonstrated something increasingly important to Australian industry: students don't have to wait until university or employment to begin understanding real engineering.
Queenwood's success has since progressed to QUTE 2, this time involving a dismantled 1961 Morris ute.
Industry Knowledge Belongs in the Classroom Too
At Oz Electric Vehicles, we believe the skills required to build, maintain and modernise electric vehicles must be passed on, not confined to individual workshops or manufacturers.
The QUTE project is an example of what can happen when industry experience, donated resources and committed educators meet students who are willing to get their hands dirty.
Graeme's contribution was part of a wider collaborative effort, but it reflects something important about practical engineering: knowledge has greater value when it creates opportunities for others.
Sometimes the most important thing an engineer can build isn't another vehicle. It's the opportunity for someone else to become an engineer.
See QUTE in Action
Watch the Suzuki Carry EV Conversion — Oz Electric Vehicles
Explore Queenwood's Technology & Engineering Program
Graeme Manietta, Founder, Oz Electric Vehicles
EV Builder • Battery Specialist • Conversion Engineer • EV Troubleshooter
Nearly two decades working hands-on with electric vehicle technology.
Battery Upgrades • Diagnostics • BMS/BCU Integration • EV Conversions • Specialist EV Engineering