Contributed by: Energy Saving Club; Photograph: Econopower Club; Editor: Wu Ying
In the afternoon of March 19, 2017, the 8th Asian Shell Energy Marathon successfully ended in Singapore. 123 teams from 20 countries including Asia, Africa and Australia had a fierce competition at the Changi Exhibition Centre in Singapore. The BIT Econopower team selected by the Beijing Institute of Energy Saving Club under the leadership of instructor Song Qiang won the second runner-up of the pure electric vehicle prototype race with a record of 427KM/KWH, and scored good results for two consecutive years in this event.
Across the sea to exotic race roads, the race cars appeared to be somewhat not adapted to the local conditions. From the outset, the race experienced tire punctures, loose transmission gears and other accidents, which almost made it difficult to finish the race, in addition to the poor track conditions and hot weather. This trophy is even more difficult to come by. The members of the BIT team performed their duties and worked hard. They never gave up in the face of difficulties. This was especially true for women drivers who had been driving for a long time under such high temperature and harsh conditions. They also kept meticulously refreshing performance of every circle. With the joint efforts of the team members and the instructors, the car's performance in the official competition has steadily improved, and it has successfully completed all competitions.
[Car inspection in progress, with more than 10 strict inspection items]
[Team members are busy debugging]
[Race cars on Singapore track]
The Shell energy-saving marathon started in the United States in 1939. At that time, there was a challenge among scientists at the Shell Laboratory: apply one gallon of fuel to see who's car is running the furthest. It looked like a joke among "geeks", but eventually gave birth to a large-scale automobile environmental protection event. This event aims to raise the awareness of energy saving and environmental protection in the whole society and cultivate the comprehensive quality of college students' innovative awareness, practical ability and teamwork.
The energy-saving car club of BIT has been preparing for this competition since 2016 and has continuously strived to achieve technological innovation. For more than a year, the team has been focusing on body shape design and lightweight design. The success of the carbon fiber monocoque achieves a 30% reduction in overall vehicle weight compared to previous racing cars. High-efficiency motors and controllers have hit the limits of efficiency one after another to achieve such excellent results.
During the spare time of the competition, the team members actively communicated with excellent teams at home and abroad, and gained technology and friendship in the process of communication and learning. After the race ended on March 20th, together with the team of Zeal Eco-Power Team of Tongji University, the team visited the energy conservation team of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, whose design concept of the vehicle, the rigorous work environment of the laboratory and the careful planning of the work area all provided a strong reference to our team construction.
[Exchange visit to Nanyang Technological University]
The achievement of excellent results and the development of the team are inseparable from the joint efforts of all the team members, the indispensable guidance of the teachers to the front line, and the indispensable support from the school functional departments and the college. From 2007 to 2017, the past decade is a milestone for the energy-saving team, the team has been more mature, the operating mechanism has been more reasonable, and the accumulation of technology has been deeper. In the next decade of technological innovation, with one Kilowatt hour, one liter of oil, how far can the car go? There is no answer. The history of BIT's energy-saving car club awaits the continuous creation of a new generation of students who love cars, innovation and practice.
(Reviewed by: Fan Wenhui)