On Tuesday, December 10, the Design Presentation of Green Team Twente took place in the Vrijhof at the University of Twente. The team revealed the design of the hydrogen car with which they will race at the Shell Eco-Marathon (SEM) Europe in London in July. In the presentation all components were explained separately where the biggest changes are the new engine and the internal structure.
The goal of this year’s design is to make the car more efficient, as well as making the car more robust, reliable and user-friendly. This all because the team has not only the goal to win the SEM but also has the sub goal to get the car road legal.
The structure of the car was first explained during the presentation. The biggest change is on the inside of the car where fewer bulkheads are placed such that there is more space and the systems become more accessible. The drive line and suspension were then discussed. The suspension is fully adapted to the new structure, and they will reintroduce the hub motor in the car. This means that they go from the gearbox system, powered by 4 electric motors, to one hub motor. A hub motor is a motor that sits in the wheel which means that there are no losses in the power transfer. The last two topics of the presentation were the hydrogen system and the strategy, in which no radical changes take place, but these systems are further optimized and made more reliable.
With all this, Green Team Twente expects to win the Shell Eco-Marathon for the second year in a row. In the coming weeks, the entire team will work very hard to bring all these designs to life. Eventually the car will be ready and you can come and see it yourself at the beginning of May with the car presentation. Do you want to know more about the team and follow how the hydrogen car is built and how it is raced? Look on the website and follow the social media!