DTU Roadrunners' eco-car, Dynamo 11.0, was presented and given a test drive on Thursday, 7 May when HRH Prince Joachim visited DTU.
The students on the DTU Roadrunners team are almost ready to roll. On 18 May, they leave for Rotterdam to defend last year's victory in the Shell Eco-marathon, which is a competition for ultra energy-efficient vehicles.
The first step on the way was the presentation of the new and improved car, Dynamo 11.0, which the team has been working on since last year. This was celebrated with a visit from HRH Prince Joachim, who is always invited to attend this annual event.
"What you're designing and testing right now will be what you'll be living with and living off in the course of a long and hopefully also very exciting career."
HRH Prince Joachim
'It's a wonderful day for visiting DTU and seeing the spring projects that you're working on and that will be put to the test in Rotterdam in a little while,' he said.
In addition to the DTU Dynamo, Aalborg University was also present with their car, which is primarily constructed of 3D-printed parts.
After a brief welcome indoors, HRH Prince Joachim was invited outside for a description of the alterations which have been made to the DTU Dynamo to ensure that the world record and the victory can hopefully be won. A world record of 612.3 km/l, which the team holds itself, but which unfortunately was not reached last year.
Important improvements
In order to be able to get as much mileage as possible out of the car, a large number of improvements have been made this year. The transmission is now automatic and has been equipped with ground gears, as the manual transmission caused problems in last year's competition.
In addition, the compression ratio in the engine has been increased from 12 to 14, which means that the engine can deliver more energy from the fuel, and the car can therefore drive longer.
The brake system in Dynamo 11.0 is brand-new and is to ensure better braking characteristics and feedback from the brakes. The flywheel and the rack and pinion steering have also been updated.
DTU Roadrunners have participated in the Shell Eco-marathon since 2005 and have won the last five years in a row. The competition will be held for the 31st time on 21–24 May 2015, and more than 230 teams have signed up, with more than 3,000 students participating.
Successful test drive
After a very interested HRH Prince Joachim had been given the chance to ask questions, it was time to give Dynamo 11.0 the mandatory test drive. With new driver Carina Lindahl behind the wheel, and a characteristic tuned-moped sound, the red racer started up and streaked across Produktionstorvet. The streamlined car did a couple of rounds, and the test drive was a success.
The next step now is the competition in Rotterdam, and in this connection, HRH Prince Joachim offered a few tips:
'Make sure that you have everything under control and plan things carefully before you leave. And then go out there and win some awards, both for yourself, for your faculty and, of course, also for the whole of the automotive world.'