Students win with first all-electric Formula car

Students at the University of Hertfordshire won a competition this month with what they say is the world’s first completely electric Formula Student car.

Their vehicle won the Low Carbon and Fuel Cell Technology Award for Lowest Carbon Production Car in the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Formula Student competition.

“We are the first team to enter a pure electric racing car into this competition, and are still the only university to win Class 1(A),” said James Major, a final-year student in automotive engineering who led the team which developed the car.

Major said the car, developed to a budget of £14,000, can hit speeds of 55 miles per hour. It also has zero tailpipe emissions, with running costs that average about a penny a mile. Although some carbon is produced through the generation of the electricity that powers the vehicle, this can be avoided by using renewable energy sources.

The University was also the outright winner for Class 1A and was awarded the Cenex Cup.

Formula Student is about building future engineering talent by designing and producing a single-seater racing car. The competition involves not just design and manufacture, but aims to help develop the necessary related management, marketing and people skills as well.