Green Team Twente is still competing for the title of “Most efficient hydrogen-powered city car”

Three teams of students have put their studies on hold to design, build and test these cars. They put in a lot of time and energy to achieve the best possible results. Reinout Sterk, Chief Engineer of the Eco-Runner Team: “We started this year knowing that the Shell Eco-marathon might not take place due to COVID-19. However, we have always been optimistic and working hard all year to develop our hydrogen-powered city car and prepare it for a race against our opponents. To our disappointment, but understandably, the race had to be cancelled.”

The students did not leave it at that, though. The Hydrogen Efficiency Challenge will take place on Friday the 11th of June at Circuit Park Berghem in the Netherlands. Mart Nijkamp, Team manager of Green Team Twente: “This crisis also brings new opportunities and challenges; we are organising our own competition as an alternative and as an opportunity to finish big this year.”

Three Dutch teams will be driving their city cars during this Challenge to complete a track on as little hydrogen as possible. In other words, to win the title of ‘Most efficient hydrogen-powered city car in the Netherlands’. The students will be testing the innovations regarding hydrogen and car technology that they have used over the past year.  

Spectators will not be allowed during the race. Still, the public can follow it via a live blog with commentary from Allard Kalff. “This means that the race can still be followed from a distance, and we will still be able to reach a large audience and raise awareness of hydrogen and efficient mobility”, says Elisa Gerritsen of HAN Hydromotive. The teams want to show that there is still a long way to go if we want to make the mobility sector more sustainable. “We hope that this will inspire people of all ages to think about fossil-free living.”