On June 19th 2013, engineering students from Cardiff University will compete in a non-stop driving challenge across the length of Britain in a bid to be crowned the nation’s most economical drivers.
Students from across England, Scotland, and Wales, will be competing with them in a Formula Student Diesel Eco Driving Challenge.The inaugural three-day competition, which runs from the 18th to 21st of June, will go via 46 universities and is being jointly run by Formula Student and Bosch.
Each team will drive a section of the route – while having their eco-driving ability measured by on-board computers - before passing the vehicle on to the next university. The Cardiff University team will set off from Cardiff School of Engineering at 5.50am on June 19th, and will drive 42.5 miles to Swansea University.
Cardiff’s driver will be Michelle Davis, one of only three women drivers in the competition and the only one from Wales.
Patrick Kniveton, President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers – which runs Formula Student – will flag off the event at the Institution’s Westminster headquarters at 11am.
From Westminster, the car will head to the first stop – Queen Mary, University of London in Mile End – before the route heads south along the coast and then west towards Swansea. It will then zigzag across England and Scotland towards the final destination of Aberdeen University on June 21.
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.
Michelle Davis, from Cardiff University, said: “As a competitive racing driver, driving economically is a whole new challenge I’m looking forward to undertaking. I hope that the team from all over the UK can be awarded the nation’s most economical drivers.”
The students, including three from Wales and five from Scotland, will be joined in the vehicle by an AA representative, who will help with the route and economical driving tips.
Students taking part are all involved with Formula Student 2013, taking place at 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.” 
About
Formula Student
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.
About
Cardiff School of Engineering
Engineering has been taught at Cardiff since
1893. Today, the School of Engineering
is regarded as one of the top centres for engineering with teaching and
research facilities ranked amongst the best in the British university
system. The School has earned the
highest ratings in independent assessments, obtaining a top-10 UK position in
research (RAE-08), top-10 in the Times HES and top-5 Russell Group position in
the National Student Survey (2012). Research expertise is divided across themes
encompassing Energy, Environment and Sustainability, Advanced Mechanics,
Materials and Manufacturing and Health, Security and Digital Economy. The School also hosts some unique external
Science and Innovation centres, including the Morgan-Botti Lightening Lab and the Gas Turbine Research Centre.
Cardiff
University
Cardiff
University is recognised in independent government assessments as one of
Britain’s leading teaching and research universities and is a member of the
Russell Group of the UK’s most research intensive universities. Among its
academic staff are two Nobel Laureates, including the winner of the 2007 Nobel
Prize for Medicine, University Chancellor Professor Sir Martin Evans.
Founded by Royal Charter in 1883, today the University combines
impressive modern facilities and a dynamic approach to teaching and research.
The University’s breadth of expertise encompasses: the College of Humanities
and Social Sciences; the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences; and the
College of Physical Sciences, along with a longstanding commitment to lifelong
learning. Cardiff's three flagship Research Institutes are offering radical new
approaches to neurosciences and mental health, cancer stem cells and
sustainable places.
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