The 13 and 14-year olds from Shrewsbury School have designed and
built their own battery-powered racing car and are now using it to
compete in the 'Greenpower Formula 24 Competition' - a national
competition for schools.
The initiative promotes engineering as a rewarding career whilst
educating students about sustainable engineering and technology.
The Shrewsbury pupils are also using the project as part of their
bronze Duke of Edinburgh award programme.
All cars in the competition have to use the same 24 volt
electric motor and 12 volt batteries, but the design and
construction of them is all done by the pupils, with the help of
teachers, co-opted outside engineers, parents and sponsoring
companies.
The Shrewsbury team has recently received backing from Shifnal
company Quest 88 which provides therapy and mobility equipment. The
firm has donated parts to enable the pupils to improve the
performance and keep competing.
"Quest 88 is delighted to support the team from Shrewsbury
School and hope that we can contribute in some way to making the
car more competitive for 2011. The cycles we produce, for people
with disabilities, use components; which we thought would enhance
the car's performance. We are excited to be involved and really
impressed at what the pupils are achieving. "