UJ electric vehicle finishes strong in London
10 August 2016
News
At the Shell Eco-Marathon Europe, held in London during early July 2016, a team from the University of Johannesburg (UJ), calling itself Voltronics, achieved an impressive 15th place with its prototype battery-electrical vehicle.
Officially the only African team to race at the event, Voltronics finished ahead of teams from France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Turkey and Spain.
Team Voltronics powered its prototype battery-electrical vehicle to 15th place at the Shell Eco-Marathon Europe. From left to right: Shalaka Thomas, Pieter Erasmus Snr., Ryan Coetzee, Dr Yuko Roodt, Reginald Masher, Marissa Erasmus, Pieter Erasmus, Paul Lee, Nicholas Harvey, Eduard Basson.
Fifty teams registered in the prototype category with the energy source an electrical battery. Of those, 45 teams passed technical inspection and 30 teams registered valid racing results in London. Teams from Tunisia, Morocca and Nigeria registered for the marathon, but did not post valid racing results or did not pass technical inspection by Shell. In the Shell Eco-Marathon Europe, each team is allowed four attempts during the competition. Each attempt consists of eight laps of 2,215 km which had to be completed in under 43 minutes with the best possible energy or fuel economy. The best attempt counted for the final result.
The UJ team consisted of eight engineering students, accompanied by a team mentor and mechanical engineer. Its vehicle, dubbed Nightfury and piloted by female engineering student Shalaka Thomas, achieved a best racing result of 309 km/kWh. The team was pleased with its vehicle’s results and believes the experience will help it prepare and improve its vehicle for the African Shell Eco-Marathon race in August 2016.
Shalaka Thomas said: ”The race was intimidating because the other teams have been racing for longer. It was a lot of fun too, driving a tiny car going quite fast. The car is so tiny and you’re strapped down. You’re almost in a sleeping position driving it. That’s not ideal for driving but it is the most energy efficient. I practised driving go-karts and played some PlayStation games – one had a simulation of the London racing track.”
In the view of team leader and project manager, Pieter Erasmus, “the Shell Eco-Marathon Europe gave the team world-class experience. We plan to improve on better visibility for the driver and driver comfort for the African Shell Eco-Marathon this year.”
For more information contact Therese Van Wyk, University of Johannesburg, +27 (0)11 559 6332, theresevw@uj.ac.za
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