Cenex has jumped on board to become the official partner of this year’s ‘green fuels’ Class 1 A category in Formula Student 09.
The UK's first Centre of Excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technologies is backing Class 1 A (A referring to alternative) in FS09, Europe’s biggest student motorsport event. FS09 will take place between 16-19 July at the world-famous Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire and will challenge university students from Delhi to Dublin to design, build and compete in a single-seater racing car from scratch – no mean feat!
Run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) FS is delighted to have the support of Cenex and energy company E.ON’s, this year. Robert Evans, CEO of Cenex said today: “Cenex is delighted to be supporting FS09’s ‘green fuels’ category. The competition is a great way to highlight the increasingly important role that alternative fuels, such as biofuels and hydrogen, will play in helping the UK’s transportation sector move toward a lower carbon future. FS is a fantastic competition that encourages students on a global scale to learn about science and engineering and compete at a level that reaches right up to Formula 1.”
The event is likely to see up to 3,000 students take part in a series of design and action ‘dynamic’ events. This year there are seven teams in Class 1A and over 80 teams from all over the world – 35 from the UK.
Racing Green, a team from Imperial College, London, has taken the route of using a hydrogen fuel cell to power its entry into Class 1A, as well as lithium polymer battery packs and a 4kW fuel cell as a range extender. Each racing car wheel is linked to a 25kW motor, giving the vehicle an advantage of 4-wheel drive. A lot of control is needed to put the electricity in the correct place, so the teams used a Compact Rio, a mechanism used in motorsport to be vibration resistant which controls the batteries. The car also has regenerative braking capability built in, which can generate electricity. Ian Lawrence, Team Leader said: “We actually had to design the battery pack ourselves because nothing like it exists in the world.
To incorporate technology that has not been used yet was a challenge in itself and perhaps we underestimated the difficulties that the design process would involve. It is an excellent learning curve which only increases year upon year of entering Formula Student.”
FS is run by the IMechE to challenge the next generation of engineers to design, build and drive a single-seater racing car from scratch. The aim of the competition is to help students develop academic, vocational and practical engineering skills and the training it provides is considered essential by industry experts for students hoping to pursue a career in F1 or motorsport. This year, Patron and Team Principal of Brawn GP, Ross Brawn, had these words of encouragement for the youngsters: “Motorsport is a highly competitive environment where practical experience really can make a candidate stand out when looking for their first job and that’s where Formula Student comes in. Changing and evolving our technologies and engineering processes is crucial to stay on top of the competition in Formula One and I can see that desire is also there in the engineering talent and skill within the Formula Student teams. The enthusiasm and commitment that I have seen at the Formula Student events I have attended fills me with optimism for the future of science and engineering in this country.”
John Wood, Chairman of FS and Deputy President of IMechE: “Everybody is aware that these are difficult times in the economic cycle and the need to develop excellent engineers has never been more important. Formula Student is unique in that it offers students the chance to hone their skills in an exciting and stimulating environment.
NB: FS cars undergo a series of dynamic tests at Silverstone such as acceleration, sprint, skid-pad and endurance. Students are also tested on design, presentation and cost assessment elements. There are five categories that teams can enter: Class 1, for cars designed and built from scratch; Class 1 (200) for previous FS with modifications; Low Carbon Class, alternative fueled cars designed and built from scratch; Class 2 & 3, design entries only.
Formula Student Class 1 A EntriesUniversity FuelOxford Brookes Hybrid – petrol/electricHertfordshire University ElectricImperial College London Hydrogen Fuel-CellCentral Lancashire E-85 Bio-EthanolETH Zurich, Switzerland ElectricUniversity of Madrid HybridState Technical University – MADI, Moscow Hybrid
