At the Edge of What Is Possible

The last week before Shell Eco-marathon 2013 in Rotterdam starts has finally arrived. Since September 2012, we have been constantly working to achieve our goal. Long days and late nights are starting to become more frequent as the start of this year’s event draws closer.

Last week we were finally able to do our first tests. The day before our country’s old queen abdicated and Willem-Alexander was crowned king, we saw our creation drive for the first time again in quite some time. To see the new designs we have implemented in action for the first time was a great moment. Finally we got to see if everything we had come up with worked as well as we thought. The first tests went pretty well. Apart from some small problems, which can be expected at a first test drive, the Ecorunner performed great.

Now the last week before SEM 2013 has started, and the pressure really starts to build. Everyone realizes how crucial it is to improve those tiny things in order to get the best result on the track in Rotterdam. Problems that occur are tackled with more passion than ever before, and more work is put into the Ecorunner every day. This leads to a great feeling within the team, working together through night and day to achieve that one goal we all look forward to achieving: building the most fuel-efficient hydrogen prototype vehicle in the world and winning Shell Eco-marathon 2013.

Where some other teams are already trying to get their vehicles ready for a larger industrial level in the near future, the Eco-Runner Team Delft is looking to find and push the limits of what is technologically possible in energy-efficient mobility.

When working this close to the edge of what is possible, you can never be sure of your results. However, with the hard work and dedication we have put into our project over the past months, I am convinced that we can look forward to a great week in Rotterdam!