Hertfordshire University has scooped the award for the car that produces the least carbon at the 2008 Institution of Mechanical Engineers Formula Student competition.
Hertfordshire’s ninety-two brake horsepower car was constructed using a fully recyclable lightweight material called Pure, which costs less than fifty pence per square metre and has potential for use in the UK automotive industry.
Team leader Ian Burgess said: ‘In previous years, we used carbon fibre everywhere. Pure is much more environmentally-friendly and is a third lighter than aluminium with the same stiffness.’
The car, which raced at Silverstone last weekend, was also named overall winner in the brand new Class1a for ‘alternative powered’ cars. It runs on completely renewable fuel, has no carbon dioxide emissions and can match an equivalent petrol car for power.
The university also won the cup for re-engineered cars for the third year running.
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