High school team qualify for electric car finals

Kingsway Park High School’s Zen Car team racing at Aintree earlier this year

A team from Kingsway Park High School in Rochdale has made it through to the Greenpower Electric Car Finals 2011.

The team, made up of 11 students, worked in their dinner breaks and after school to design and build the car; they made it to the final after taking part in a regional heat earlier this year.

On Sunday (16 October) they will compete at the Goodwood Motor Circuit where they will showcase their design and engineering expertise when their car takes to the track.

The youngsters have two cars, one that was made at the old Springhill Park High School which was very basic and made out of heavy materials and a newer, lighter car they have made from carbon fibre.

The team has been backed by Zen Internet who has helped them determine how the car will perform.

Each vehicle is powered by a 24 volt electric motor and two 12 volt batteries.

The challenge for the students is to make the car go as far as it can in four hours – if they go too fast the batteries will run out.

Kingsway Park High School deputy head teacher, Steve Parrot, said: “It’s absolutely phenomenal that they have managed to reach the final. They have worked hard and shown real dedication and it is great that they are getting some form of national recognition.

“They have done this because of their own amazing belief that they can actually do something and they get so much out of it.”

Seventy-five cars will be battling it out in the four hour race to decide who will be the champions for 2011. The emphasis is on the whole team who have to work out a careful pit stop strategy to ensure battery power is efficiently utilised.