Energy Efficient Motorsport

The Annual Greenpower Challenge 

The Greenpower Challenge, an electric car challenge which requires students, guided by their teachers and industry mentors, to design, build and then race an electric car. Holding events at weekends at major motor circuit around the UK ensures excellent attendance from the general public who can witness the amazing vehicles, focus and team work evident at these events.

Greenpower now works with over 500 schools providing events around the UK.

The Greenpower Education Trust is now planning to build on the success of this original project and create a series of additional practical challenges which will introduce young people to the full spectrum of opportunities available from a career in engineering. 

IET Formula Goblin

The Greenpower Goblin kit car is designed specifically to offer primary school pupils a chance to get involved in a simple, practical engineering project that embraces many relevant aspects of science and technology in a fun and exciting way.

Getting involved in a Goblin project at school will provide a vehicle to instantly get a large number of Year 5 and 6 pupils involved in all the excitement of building a functional car, in which they will be able to take part in races and competitions. Parents also become involved and participate actively on race days, and many bring involvement from local engineering companies that further stimulates the interest of the pupils. Through Goblin events we have forged long lasting links with secondary schools who are also Greenpower participants, and, by being able to strip down and re-build the kits each year, the initital cost of the kit bears fruit for a number of years.

IET Formula 24

Formula 24 is the flagship initiative from Greenpower. Based around a simple set of technical and safety regulations it pits over 150 schools in a nationwide competition, in which teams that place well in their local heats go through to the National Final at Goodwood Motor Circuit every October. The top 15 plus two wildcards are granted entry into the Corporate Challenge.

IET Formula 24+IET Formula 24+ is an exciting Formula aimed at those in further education aged 16-25 years. Anyone that falls into this category can enter, including privateers, youth groups, sixth forms, colleges, universities, graduate schemes and company apprenticeship schemes.

May 1st 2011 will see the Corporate Challenge step up a gear as it heads to the refreshed Silverstone National Circuit. 

The competitors will range from some of the finest up and coming young engineers from across Europe, to some of the biggest names in the automotive industry.

Entries from Bentley and Jaguar Land Rover, amongst many other big names, will be in attendance, battling it out in an intense four hour endurance race against the top 15 teams from the 2010 Formula 24 National Series.

So far the school teams have led the way but 2011 promises to be a very close event with many of the corporate entries already finalising the designs for their next contender.

The Corporate Challenge gives teams a fantastic opportunity to get involved with the Greenpower initiative and allows the corporate teams the opportunity to either construct their own vehicles with employees as drivers and pit crew, or team up with a school to help push the development of their car.

Jaguar Land Rover has now taken the Greenpower project on as a graduate apprentice development program and it’s not hard to see why. The Greenpower project offers the typically more academic applicants an opportunity to apply their knowledge to a project that faces “real world” challenges. 

(all above taken from greenpower.co.uk)

Below is a copy of the regulations for the Greenpower Electric Challenge.