A student team from Aberdeen University building an ultra-energy-efficient car to compete in the global Shell Eco-marathon programme is being supported by RS Components (RS).

RS is the headline sponsor for the team of around 50 students that make up PrototAU, and is providing financial and ongoing technical support to build the vehicle.

The car will compete in the Shell Eco-marathon Mileage Challenge, where the winning car is the one that completes the set course using the least energy.

The PrototAU team has been sourcing its components to build the car from RS Local on the Altens Industrial Estate in Aberdeen.

Branch Manager, Steve McIntyre, said: “Our mission at RS is to support engineers and inspire the engineers of tomorrow. Of course, that mission is valid here at RS in Aberdeen on a local level, so we’re delighted to support PrototAU in this significant challenge, which involves competing against teams from all over the world. The team is able to access a wide breadth of products here, and we are working with them to aid in their selection so they use the best components for the job, while sticking within budget.”

“Our knowledgeable teams will guide them not only through product selection, but also give them as much technical support as they need during the project,” continued McIntyre. “Our DesignSpark tools and forum will also be a very useful resource for them. We’re here to help them every step of the way and assist them in developing a superior car to give them the best chances of winning the competition.”

Shell Eco-marathon is in its 35th year and is divided into internal combustion, battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell energy categories.

There are also three vehicle classes: Prototype, UrbanConcept and the new Autonomous UrbanConcept. The PrototAU team will compete in the Prototype category in London this July.

PrototAU team manager, Alessandro Rigola, said: “Our partnership with RS meant the team was able to secure its place in the final competition by making sure the long-awaited design of the car would be built in time. We are currently in the final stages of assembling our vehicle, and everyone in the team is really excited to see a project that has been designed for years finally coming to fruition.”

Author

Comments are closed.