by Graciela Lucero Arrúa
Translator
info@words-at-work.com.ar
by Paola Irastorza
Director Hueney Guide
guiahueney@hotmail.com
When visiting Buenos Aires, last November, Guía Hueney interviewed Andy Hadland, a member of the team made up of 11 graduates and students of the Energy Futures Lab, and the Schools of Electronic Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, all members of the RGE ( Endurance Racing Green) project, a pioneer plan of the University of the Imperial College London.
Andy is responsible for controlling the identity and image of the RGE project.
GH: Where are you going now to promote this prototype?
A: We have just ended up in Argentina. We have travelled from Alaska to Argentina, about 26 000 km, and we finished a few days in Ushuaia, in the south. So we're here to tell you about what we have done.
GH: Which are the goals of the project?
A: The project has three objectives: sustainability, education and adventure. We want to show that environmentally friendly vehicles do not have to be boring or slow, as most people think. We want to show that these cars can be fun, attractive, efficient, and cheap; in short, all these positive aspects. This is the first objective. The second objective focuses on the idea of inspiring young people to study science and engineering because this century presents many challenges! As you know, it is a course that people prefer not to study. They want to do other things, but we want to show that if you work at it, you can get many interesting things. We show young people that there are many universities where they can study science and engineering, and we hope that perhaps, someday, they decide to study science. Finally, the third objective is adventure. We want to encourage people to do things. If you have a good idea, you should follow. There is always a reason not to do something, and there is always a better and stronger reason to do something. So, if you have a good idea, follow your dreams; this is the message.
GH: What is your role within the team?
A: I'm in charge of promoting the project through the media and the web site. My role is basically to tell the whole world about our work. We are all engineers in the team. It is important to have engineers in a project like this, but we all do something different. Some are in charge of administration, others logistics, others finding sponsors, and we all work together.
GH: Which companies are your sponsors?
A: We have 35 sponsors. The project costs about US$ 750, 000. Among many other companies, KPM is helping us with the promotion in the media. We are doing very well. Other companies are sponsoring the project with the clothing. I could go on, but it’d take an hour and a half to speak only of this issue! (laughter)
GH: How long have you been working on this project?
A: We started the idea in January 2009, and then we got the support of companies to carry it out. We finished in March 2010; so, we designed the whole thing in nine months.
GH: How much is the vehicle?
A: The vehicle costs about US$ 450, 000, which is cheap for a prototype. The cost of the project is US$ 750 000 due to the money we need to invest in terms of logistics, promotion, etc. It does not appear to need that much, but it happens as with any car: if something breaks, you have to fix it; we must maintain the car and make routine checks.
GH: Has any automaker expressed interest in the prototype?
A: You can use the technology of this car in any other vehicle. The engine is quite small, with about 40 cm diameter, and it can be adapted to any car. Some companies have expressed interest, yes, but if we are going to make something commercial of this, it must be a success in this phase. Because if something fails now, it would fail in the future. This is the time to start thinking.
