Czech students join Shell’s global eco-driving challenge for the first time
For the first time in history, a team of Czech students is taking part in the Shell Eco-marathon, global competition focused on energy efficiency, sponsored by the oil and gas giant. Until Sunday, the team from the Czech Technical University’s Faculty of Transportation will be at Poland’s Silesia Ring, aiming to drive their electric car prototype as far as possible on a single kilowatt-hour of energy.
Ljubov Kozlova, the driver for the Green Gliders team, is tiny. However, getting into the cockpit is still a challenge. She has to unbuckle her harness and remove the steering wheel just to squeeze in. Once inside, she’s practically lying down, with barely enough room to move the wheel.
Michal Cenkner, team leader and the originator of the project at Czech Technical University’s Faculty of Transportation, explains how the cockpit was designed:
“We started by measuring her body in the position she would be in behind the wheel. Then we did a 3D scan of her. With that model, we were able to custom-build the car.”
The vehicle looks a bit like a sleek black tricycle. It is 2.6 meters long, 1.25 meters wide, and, made from laminated carbon fibre, it weighs just 45 kilograms.
Aerodynamics play a crucial role, especially when it comes to energy efficiency. For example, the front wheel fairings have rounded edges, designed to allow air to flow around them as smoothly as possible.
At the rear of the vehicle, next to the back wheel, is the technical core of the car: a standard motor typically used in electric bicycles. David Rozbauer, from the university’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering, was responsible for the control unit and wiring.
“If you look at the battery, right behind it is the energy monitoring system—that's where we get the real performance data. The rest is our own custom wiring and the system that connects to the steering wheel,” he explains.
Starting the car involves a careful sequence.
“You insert a key to activate the logic circuit, the steering wheel lights up, the regulator pre-charges, and then you press a second button to start the system. After that, you just press the throttle and you’re good to go,” says Rozbauer.
The car is capable of reaching speeds of up to 40 km/h, but the team is aiming for a cruising speed of about 15 km/h lower. That’s where they get the best balance between speed and energy efficiency.
More than 120 teams are competing at the Silesia Ring this year. The top-performing vehicles can achieve the equivalent of over 4,500 kilometres per litre of fuel.
In the 40-year history of the Shell Eco-marathon, the Green Gliders are the first team from Czechia to take part. For their debut, they’re aiming to reach around 500 kilometres per kilowatt-hour.
The Shell Eco-marathon began back in 1939, when a group of Shell employees in the US made a bet to see who could drive the farthest on the least amount of fuel.
The first official race was held in France in 1985, with 25 wooden cars lined up at the starting line. Since then, the competition has grown into a global event, bringing together over 100,000 participants from more than 60 countries.
