It is the finals of Greenpower Trust’s national challenge this weekend and the cars taking part are proof of just how far you can travel on the energy contained in a single Jelly Bean.
Britain’s young engineering talent from schools, universities and colleges around the country will descend the Goodwood Motor Circuit for the GreenPower National Finals this Sunday.
Over a hundred student teams will compete with their own designed and built electric cars , which must comply to a strict environmental standards-including that they must run on just two 12 volt batteries.
That means that the cars will travel nearly a mile on the amount of energy in just one Jelly Baby or 13.5 miles on the energy contained in a Mars bar- that’s energy consumption equivalent to 2,980 miles per gallon rating. It will cost just 20 pence in electricity for each car to cover 120 miles.
Judge Erik Fairbairn CEO of electric vehicle charging company POD Point, said: “The sheer tenacity required to engineer and build a vehicle from scratch is awesome. It is all the more impressive when you realise that these are teams of students, who are constructing the vehicle in their own time and without the resources and support that are available in the commercial environment.”
All teams entering the Finals have been selected in a series of heats that run throughout the summer months, and many of them will have spent the entire academic year building a vehicle to enter these events.
David Richards CBE, Chairman of Aston Martin and Patron of the Greenpower Education Trust , which runs the competition said: “I was impressed not only by the superbly engineered cars, but also by the focus, passion, and great teamwork I witnessed among the young competitors, who designed and built the cars they were racing.”
As well as an exciting day of motor racing, the Greenpower Finals day at Goodwood will feature off-track entertainment including a Victorian fun fair, a display of electric cars and electric racing cars, and a careers and education fair. The event will run from 10.00am to 6.00pm on Sunday, October 14 at Goodwood with free entry and parking at just £5 per car. For more information visit: www.greenpowerfinals.com.
The Greenpower Education Trust works to promote sustainable engineering as a rewarding career to students aged 9-25 years. The Trust works with over 500 schools across the UK and runs 27 events annually.
Faye has been writing about cars and environmental issues since 2007. A suspected eco-warrior working on the corporate inside, Faye mainly likes the weird, quirky vehicles that show a distinct environmental advantage. Her ideal car has enough room to fit a bale of hay in the boot. When not working, she likes nothing better than to head out on her bicycle and explore the countryside.
Graham Cooper
As readers of Green Car may know, I drive a pedelec tadpole trike on the roads. I did not build the trike but I modified it by fitting a rear motor wheel and a 48V lithium iron phosphate battery.
Lead-acid batteries are very heavy but they are cheap. 24V of Greenpower at Goodwood.
A bicycle is still the greenest mode of transport.
October 09, 2012