AssetID: 53129011
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Cornish School Students Triumph In International Electric Car Building Competition
Caption: A team of 18 students from Richard Lander School in Truro, Cornwall, beat teams from around the world in a major electric car engineering challenge. The event, orchestrated by the UK charity Greenpower Education Trust asked them to design, build, and race an electric car that could cover the longest distance in 90 minutes. The designs from school-age students across the world were then raced around Goodwood motor circuit on 8 October. Richard Lander pupils won the contest for an incredible fifth consecutive time, a testament to their unwavering dedication and expertise in the field. Ben Lloyd-King, the Greenpower project leader and a physics teacher at the school, expressed his delight at the team's success. “We continue to strive for success in each race we enter. We don’t just show up, we aim to win. We are also well supported by the school and local businesses,” he said. “The school leadership sees the value of the project, and so supports its continued success.” The students' achievement was nothing short of spectacular, as they covered a distance of 52.4 miles in the allotted 90 minutes, surpassing the previous record of 50 miles. Notably, their second car also shattered records, achieving a remarkable 50.9 miles. Lloyd-King attributed their success to the simplicity of their design, lightweight construction, and superior aerodynamics. He also recounted a challenging incident, where the winning car endured a significant crash during torrential weather three weeks before the competition. Remarkably, the team managed to rebuild the car after lessons. “The winner this year RLR 3 lost control at the Castle Combe (qualifying heat) race in torrential rain,” he explained. “As it span on the tarmac, another car (not at fault) collided with the rear quarter where the drivetrain is housed, creating quite a mess. The following 3 weeks required many extra hours after lessons had finished to rebuild the drivetrain and bodywork. The repairs were mostly carried out by the team, with a local bike shop assisting in building a new wheel. It’s been quite the year for on track drama!” Reflecting on the educational aspect of the project, the teacher highlighted its importance. He noted that a decade ago, electric cars were a rarity, but now they are becoming increasingly common. “The project brings to life concepts that are otherwise quite abstract - motor technology; battery chemistry, aerodynamic drag, rolling resistance, air pressure, electrical circuits, electromagnetism, composite materials, CAD – the list goes on,” he explained. “An ex-student, Nathanael, has recently graduated from Cardiff with a first in motorsport engineering. He is now continuing to study to gain his Masters, and has just landed a job with Morgan Motors.” Crucial to the project's success were material donations from two local companies, Fibrefusion in Falmouth and Teagle near St Agnes, which underscored the importance of community involvement and support in educational initiatives like this one.
Keywords: cornwall,united kingdom,electric cars,motoring,ev,electric vehicles,technology,tech,goodwood,photo,video,feature
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