Eleven students from the National School of Electricity and Mechanics (Nancy) qualified last May for the Shell Eco-Marathon world race. The goal of the competition: to cover as far as possible with the least fuel consumption. It will take place from 10 to 12 October 2023 in India.
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July 21, 2023 at 11:45
Urban 2 is packed, ready for the big trip to Bangalore in India. After several weeks of preparing the logistics for the race, the students were finally able to talk strategy. “We simulated the circuit with a computer, taking many parameters into account. Thanks to this data, we will see if the simulator is accurate and corrects certain faults directly on the track”, explains Léo-Paul Carré, 20, president of the ENSEM Eco-Marathon student association.
First qualification in 25 years of existence
In 25 years, this is the first time that associate students have gone this far in a Shell Eco-Marathon competition. “It’s a bit of a robbery,” laughed the person who was fascinated by the energy transition. Arrived 4e during their first race, luck landed :3e participant withdrew. Then, during the European Championships, they once again finished fourth. But this time it didn’t matter, the first four qualified for the world championship.
For Léo-Paul Carré, this is also explained by their appearance. After several years of repair, the car weighs only 116 kilograms and can go up to 40 km/hour. “Before we had an additional battery that weighed two kilos now it weighs 300 grams. »
With a one-liter hydrogen gas cylinder, the car covered a distance of 36 km. “We have shown that with a hydrogen car, we have the performance that allows us to qualify like any other car. “There are only two teams that enter the contest with this hydrogen car.
Among the first three
Confident, Léo-Paul Carré insists that the pilot, even though he didn’t have the opportunity to train too much, “shined during the world championship qualification”. They were all hoping to get third or even second place.
Twelve teams will compete for first place within three months in Asia. The top four from Asia, Europe and America will try to win free visits to all Ferrari workshops in Italy as well as a permanent place for one of their own in the Ferrari stable.
It will surely also be the final race for Urban 2. Built in 2017, it is aging, “the carbon structure deforms easily and the vehicle’s durability is lacking”. But the entire ENSEM Eco-Marathon team has come up with a new name for their next energy-efficient car: the Hycarus.
