Latest news from º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ
17 Jun 2013
University students battle to become Britain’s greenest drivers
Two º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ students are to compete in the Formula Student Diesel Eco Driving Challenge powered by Bosch on 18-21 June.
Jamie Shone and Andrew Wells will compete against other students from England, Scotland and Wales in a non-stop driving challenge across the length of Britain in a bid to be crowned the nation’s most economical drivers.
The inaugural three-day competition, which starts on June 18, will go via 46 universities and is being jointly run by Formula Student and Bosch.
Jamie, a Systems Engineering student and Andrew, an Automotive Engineering student, both in their second year, will drive from the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ campus to the University of Derby – while having their eco-driving ability measured by on-board computers - before passing the vehicle on to the next team. The pair will set off from º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ at 2.55am on June 19.
Teams will be driving a Ford Fiesta, powered by a 1.5-litre TDCi diesel engine, which uses Bosch common rail diesel injectors and a high-pressure Bosch fuel pump. Monitoring equipment will analyse the efficiency of each team’s driving, with three awards up for grabs, which cover city, rural and highway driving.
The main driver for the event, Jamie, said:
“I am looking forward to the challenge. Driving economically will be a rather different experience to racing a Formula Student car but will no doubt be interesting, exciting and a great insight into an economic driving style.
“I was delighted to be chosen to take on the responsibility for competing in the event and will hopefully be able to win one of the awards for º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ.”
Students taking part are all involved with Formula Student 2013, taking place at Silverstone from 4-7 July. The event challenges universities from across the world to design, build and race a single seat racing car from scratch in one year – before putting it to the test at one of the world’s greatest racetracks.
Jon Hilton, Chairman of Formula Student, said: “This is a fantastic challenge which will certainly prepare all the students for July’s competition.
“It’s the first time we’ve attempted a driving challenge of this scale and I wish all the teams the best of luck.”
Distances between universities range will from three miles to over 100 miles, but each team will be monitored equally. Prizes will be awarded at the Formula Student competition at Silverstone.
Peter Fouquet, president of Bosch UK, said: “With the help of Bosch technologies, the vehicle being used for the Formula Student Diesel Eco Driving Challenge achieves CO2 emissions of just 98g/km. In the near future, Bosch sees the potential across all vehicle segments for even greater CO2 emissions reductions – of up to 20 percent in some cases.”
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Notes for editors
Article reference number: PR 13/112
- Formula Student, run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, is the world’s largest student motorsport event, challenging students from around the world to design, build and race a single-seater racing car from scratch. A total of 149 student teams from 32 countries have registered for Formula Student 2013, 54 of which are from UK universities.
- º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It was awarded the coveted Sunday Times University of the Year 2008-09 title, and is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in national newspaper league tables. It has been voted England's Best Student Experience for six years running in the Times Higher Education league, and in recognition of its contribution to the sector, the University has been awarded six Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
It is a member of the 1994 Group of 11 leading research-intensive universities. The Group was established in 1994 to promote excellence in university research and teaching. Each member undertakes diverse and high-quality research, while ensuring excellent levels of teaching and student experience.
Contact for all media enquiries
Institution of Mechanical Engineers’
Press Office
T: 020 7973 1261
E: media@imeche.org
Additional contact information
Hannah Bateson
Public Relation Office
º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ
T: 01509 228658
E: H.R.Bateson@lboro.ac.uk