Students prepare to race their eco-friendly hybrid car

ABU DHABI // A team of students from Abu Dhabi University is planning to race a hand-built hybrid-electric car in a regional green technology competition.

Twelve mechanical engineering students worked for two months to build the car for the Taqa GCC Hybrid-Electric Challenge on January 29 to 31. Eleven other teams from Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE are also expected to compete in the race, organised by Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa).

The car that records the longest distance and fastest average speed will win the competition, which is taking place at Al Forsan International Sports Resort. The other Emirati teams are from UAE University, the Petroleum Institute, Masdar Institute and Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research.

The car, which seats one driver, is powered by a combination of advanced lithium batteries and a petrol generator. The team had to balance the two parts to make the car function in an energy-efficient way.

The students said the project helped them in ways they did not expect.

“The science stuff, you’re eager about it, you’re excited about it, you read about it, you learn about it, but to discuss with people whether an idea works or not – that is where problems arise,” said Yehia Blushi, 23, team spokesman.

“So the human engineering is the most surprising part. For us, this is a real-life project. The experience is priceless.”

As the team was made up of mechanical engineers, they found the electrical engineering part of the project very challenging.

“When it comes to electrical, you have a lot of tiny circuits, tiny boards and very tiny details, so it was kind of hard for us,” said team leader Abdullah Abdul Jalil, 21.

The students split into separate groups to work on aerodynamics, steering, energy efficiency and suspension.

Hamdi Sheibani, chair of the mechanical engineering department, said the students had some difficulties with preparation and planning, but that was part of the experience.

“You have to learn how to implement what you learn to solve problems,” Mr Sheibani said.

“I am happy that we are facing problems, so you’ll see how the students can solve them, especially when they are under pressure and timing as part of the game.”

Aly Nazmy, dean of the College of Engineering, said the department hopes to have two teams and a second car in the 2015 competition.