EEMS support for Imperial team in 2008 Formula Zero Championship

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Imperial team competes in the world's first zero emission championship - News Release

For Immediate Release
Friday 22 August 2008

The world’s first ever zero emissions motorsport championship will see Imperial College London students representing the UK today, thanks in part to support from EEMS, the Energy Efficient Motorsport programme.

The College has received support from EEMS, which promotes sustainable technologies and fuels in motorsport, to help undergraduates compete in the world premier of the 2008 Formula Zero Championship (22–23 August 2008), taking place in Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Formula Zero is a new zero-emission race class for open fuel cell single seaters, with plans to develop from karts to Formula Three style racing cars. It aims to appeal to a new generation of race fans with technological innovations, racing in city centres, with zero emissions. The 2008 Championship features a competition between six university teams from around the world that have designed and developed their own fuel cell karts.

Unlike conventional engines, fuel cells produce electricity by reacting hydrogen fuel, stored in a pressurised tank, with oxygen taken from the air, so water is the only exhaust product.

The Imperial Racing Green team, along with teams from the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain, will compete in a series of tests including time trials to find the fastest kart, ‘flying starts’ to find the kart that performs the fastest lap, and conventional ‘standing starts’, in which karts complete a series of laps and compete to be the first across the finish line.

A panel of experts will also inspect and award marks to each team for their innovations in kart design and construction. At the end of the two day competition all marks will be tallied to find the winner.

The EEMS support will help with the team’s operational and transportation expenses while in Rotterdam and for the 2008/09 season. Dr Gregory Offer, of the Departments of Earth Science Engineering and Materials and Imperial Racing Green Project Manager, comments:

Pedal to the metal as Imperial team competes to win in Rotterdam

“It is fantastic to have the financial support of EEMS for our first international race. Both EEMS and Imperial College are committed to the development of environmentally responsible technology in motorsport and the Formula Zero Championships will provide an excellent platform to showcase our undergraduate team and their growing expertise in this field.”

EEMS Project Director Alan Mercer added:

“EEMS is delighted to be supporting Imperial Racing Green in their efforts to compete in this exciting new series. This relationship represents much of what EEMS is trying to achieve - demonstrating that these new technologies can provide an exciting motorsport spectacle, while helping engineers of the future to develop their skills and implement on-the-track innovations that will help take the technology forward”.

A crowd of thousands is expected to watch teams compete in a specially constructed track in the Willemsplein, a suburb located in the heart of Rotterdam.

Other universities competing include Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, Lawrence Technological University, USA, and the University of California, USA, along with Euplatech from Spain and the Zero Emission Racing team from Belgium.

The race is the culmination of two years hard work by Imperial students working on the Racing Green initiative. This has included improving their kart designs from the original prototype which relied on a smaller fuel cell and electric batteries for power.

Imperial Racing Green is an initiative undertaken by the College’s Faculty of Engineering to develop and train the engineers of the future. The project gives undergraduates hands-on experience in the design, development and construction of fuel cell vehicles, with competitions like Formula Zero giving undergraduates a chance to test their kart on the race track.

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For further information please contact:

Colin Smith
Press Officer
Imperial College London
Email: cd.smith@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)207 594 6712
Out of hours duty press officer: +44 (0)7803 886 248

Notes to editors:

About Energy Efficient Motorsport (EEMS)

EEMS is an industry initiative whose vision is to work with the UK motorsport industry to put energy efficiency at the heart of modern motorsport. By stimulating the use of more sustainable technologies and fuels, EEMS aims to ensure that the automotive and motorsport industries benefit from the new opportunities that arise in the development of energy efficient competition now and in the future. EEMS is backed by Government through Motorsport Development UK, a public private partnership supported by four Regional Development Agencies and BERR (formerly the DTI).

The programme provides support for a range of projects developing energy efficiency in racing as well as working with regulators, organisers and championships and running events to widen knowledge.

Other milestones for EEMS-supported projects so far include: first racing car to finish the Le Mans 24 Hours on 100% renewable fuel; first hybrid rally car to win its class in a UK national rally championship; first podium place in UK motorsport for E85 biofuel (British Touring Cars); first UK biofuel win (British GT3 Championship), first car championship to run on E85 (Formula Woman).

For more information about EEMS go to:
http://www.eemsonline.co.uk/
Contact: Janice Minton, EEMS Press Officer
Telephone +44 (0)7803 050266,
Email: janice.minton@eemsonline.co.uk 

About Imperial College London

Imperial College London - rated the world's fifth best university in the 2007 Times Higher Education Supplement University Rankings - is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 12,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality.

Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture. Website: www.imperial.ac.uk.

About Formula Zero

On 22nd August 2008, Formula Zero, the new zero emission race series, will launch the world's first international championship for fuel cell powered racers. The world premiere of the 2008 Formula Zero Championship will take place in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, thanks to the support from the Rotterdam Climate Initiative. This comes at a time when the automotive industry is revving up for the commercialisation of fuel cell powered cars, and the oil price is at an all time high.

Teams from top international universities, including Imperial College London, Delft University of Technology, and Lawrence Tech Detroit have designed and built their own hydrogen fuel cell racers to compete in the 2008 Formula Zero Championship. They will compete for the fastest lap time on the Formula Zero mobile race track, at different high profile locations around the world.

For more information about the 2008 Formula Zero Championship go to:http://www.formulazero.nl/ 

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