Students reach the finish line with a new design for Imperial Racing Green

Imperial Racing Green, the student-led low-emission racing team, have won first prize for their latest design at the Formula Student 2013 competition.

The team received the overall winner trophy in the Class 2 competition for their design of a new electric car, dubbed the EV2, beating entries from 24 UK and international universities. 

After months of work, the students travelled to Silverstone to present their design at the competition finals on 4 July. The team were questioned on every aspect of the vehicle from the overall concept through to the design. They were also asked to produce a viable business proposition, budgets and management plans.

EV2’s Chief Engineer, Santhosh Sankaranarayanan (Mechanical Engineering) said: “The competition level was very high and the only reason we got the edge over our competitors was because of the solid engineering-design of our vehicle and the fact that we have a great team.”

This year’s group, which comprised of over thirty students from Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and the Business School, supported by PhD students, also came second in the business presentation and fourth in the Class 2 cost and sustainability category, making this year the best result at the design level in the Formula Student competition to date.

Imperial Racing Green was created in 2007, to give students from multiple engineering disciplines the opportunity to design, build and race low-emission vehicles. The team is mostly based in Mechanical Engineering but support for the student-led project also comes from staff across the Faculty of Engineering, and is sponsored internally by Climate KIC, The Energy Futures Lab, and the Grantham Institute for Climate Change.

Dr Gregory Offer, Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering and Project Manager for Imperial Racing Green, says “Imperial Racing Green’s principle aims are to train the next generation of engineers in the technologies relevant to their future, design competition winning vehicles and expose undergraduates to cutting edge research. This year’s team have exceeded expectations and done themselves and the College proud. By doing so well they have contributed to Imperial’s reputation for nurturing excellent engineers.”

Santhosh Sankaranarayanan added: “The experience of working on Imperial Racing Green is the best I have had over all four years of my degree. It has taught me about the value of teamwork as well as new, emerging technologies.”

It is hoped that the team will build upon this year’s results to finish the lithium ion battery powered vehicle ready to race in the Class 1 event next year.  

Formula Student is the world’s largest student motorsport event. The annual competition is run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a professional engineering organisation in the UK. Backed by industry and high-profile engineers, the competition aims to inspire and develop enterprising and innovative young engineers.

For more information visit the Imperial Racing Green webpage.