Eco-Runner Team Delft

Eco-Runner Team Delft is the first (student)team from the Netherlands to participate in the Shell Eco-marathon at the Rockingham Speedway in the UK in July 2006. After its first participation, three new Dutch teams arose in the next year, competing in the Nogaro Circuit Shell Eco-marathon in May 2007.

About the Team

Eco-Runner Team Delft was founded by some technology students in the Netherlands in November 2005. In its first year, the team consisted of eleven second year students of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering of the Delft University of Technology. Seven of these students were from Belgium and four were Dutch. The team's goal was to compete in the Shell Eco-marathon on the Rockingham Speedway in the UK in July 2006.

After the first year, some of the first year team members left the team, but new members were recruited. The team now consists of sixteen team members; first, second and third year students from the Delft University of Technology.

The First Year

In its first year the Eco-Runner Team Delft built the Eco-Runner 1. This vehicle was built in a limited time and with limited resources, but it nonetheless achieved the team's goal of running 500 kilometers on one litre of petrol. Even with a non-functioning fuel injection system, which was the most important feature of the vehicle, the team was able to achieve 557 kilometers per litre. This achievement encouraged the team to build a new Eco-Runner and participate again with a goal of 2000 kilometres per litre and a top-5 place in the Shell Eco-marathon at the Rockingham speedway.

The Eco-Runner H₂

This new Eco-Runner is called the Eco-Runner H₂. Its main improvement with respect to the first version is its completely integrated design. This results in an extremely aerodynamic shape and a light weight of the vehicle. On top of that the team is developing two propulsion methods for this new Eco-Runner H₂, actually resulting in two Eco-Runners H₂.

The first propulsion method comprises a fuel cel driving an electric motor.

The other method is a six-stroke petrol combustion engine. The basic principle of this engine is the same to that of a four-stroke engine but for the injection of a drop of water after the fourth stroke. Due to the extreme heat remaining in the cylinder head, the water will expand rapidly, resulting in a "free" working stroke. The team is aware of this engine's downside, which is the combination of water, high temperature and high pressure, inevitably resulting in a high level over corrosion.

External links

* [http://www.ecorunner.nl Eco-Runner Team Delft official website]