UJ’s eight steer to the top
AUCKLAND PARK – UJ students come back from London after competing in the Shell-Eco Marathon.
University of Johannesburg (UJ) students came back from the Shell-Eco Marathon triumphant as they were placed 15th globally.
The marathon had the eight students from the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment go against 300 other teams. Each team had to produce innovative solutions using renewable and nonrenewable resources to design, manufacture and build a car that would be highly fuel-efficient for future transportation.
Fifty teams registered in the prototype with the energy source an electrical battery category. Of those, 45 teams passed technical inspection and 30 teams registered valid racing results in London.
Teams from Tunisia, Morocco, and Nigeria registered for the marathon. However, they did not post valid racing results or did not pass technical inspection by Shell. The UJ vehicle, dubbed ‘Nightfury’ achieved a best racing result of 309 km/kWh. In the marathon, each team is allowed four attempts during the competition.
Each attempt consists of eight laps of 2.215km which had to be completed in under 43 minutes with the best possible energy or fuel economy. The best attempt counted for the final result.
The team was pleased with their vehicle’s results and believes the marathon will help them prepare and improve their prototype battery electrical vehicle for the African Shell Eco-Marathon race in August 2016.
Driver, Shalaka Thomas said the race was intimidating because the other teams have been racing for longer. “It was a lot of fun too, driving a tiny car going quite fast,” she said. She explained that the car is so small and that you’re strapped down, almost in a sleeping position driving it. “That is not ideal for driving but it is the most energy-efficient,” added Thomas.
Thomas is studying B Eng (Electric and Electronic Engineering) at UJ and divulged that her racing experience included driving go-carts and playing PlayStation games. “One had a simulation of the London racing track,” she added.
Team leader and project manager Pieter Erasmus concluded that the Shell Eco-Marathon Europe gave the team a world-class experience. “We plan to improve on better visibility for the driver and driver comfort for the African Shell Eco-Marathon later this year.”
Details: UJ, e-mail: myfuture@uj.ac.za or 011 559 4555.
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