Under starters orders

Time is running out for students at Shell Eco-marathon to have an official stamp of approval before taking to the urban circuit. “The competition starts this afternoon,” says Colin Chin, part of the inspection team. “It’s like a factory in here – we each check one aspect of the cars: weight, design, engines.”

A car with a difference

UrbanConcept car from Team Schluckspecht, with a Stirling engine wrapped in aluminium foil protruding from the back of the car.

One UrbanConcept car under review was from Team Schluckspecht, University of Applied Sciences Offenburg, Germany. Protruding from the back of the car is a structure wrapped in aluminium foil. “We are the first team to use a Stirling engine,” says driver Dominik Disher. The engine burns ethanol in an engine outside their UrbanConcept car, insulated with foil and cotton wool.  “This system is cleaner than a traditional internal combustion engine.”

Thinking ahead

Team H2politO from Italy have designed their UrbanConcept car to meet real needs of drivers. “We want to focus on tomorrow, not the distant future,” says Angelo Santabarbara. He wanted to include the latest comforts, building in space for air conditioning. “We have been discussing with Microsoft how in future smart technology could allow the driver to talk to the car and the car to talk to the traffic, to take the quickest route.”

The Urban Evolution car from Germany resembles a sports car in its smooth curves and streamlined windshield. “We worked with Karmann, so you might think our design is like a Porsche!” says Martin Person. Since December 2011 the car has had number plates and the driver has taken it for a spin on public roads.

A warm welcome

From the south of France the Eco-conception team have focused their design on sustainability, using recycled wood and running with a plug-in battery. Jérôme Malahiude is at the event for the first time: “We were tired after a 13-hour drive here, but everyone is so motivated the atmosphere is invigorating!”