When building the Eco XII one of our main focusses was on reducing weight as much as possible. When the mass of the car is lower, we need less energy to drive. The Body department focussed on creating an aeroshell and a load-carrying structure that was as lightweight as possible without breaking.
The greatest factor in limiting the weight of the car was creating carbon fibre parts for the parts that are traditionally made from steel. Examples would be the push rods in the steering system or the suspension beams.
Another factor of efficiency is limiting the energy losses within the car. These losses include rolling resistance, air drag, but also the losses that occur when converting hydrogen to electricity or converting electricity to kinetical energy (movement) in the electrical motor. To minimise these energy losses, we designed and developed our new, custom-made electrical motor with an increased efficiency, and we optimised our powertrain system with a brand new fuel cell, tuned to our needs.
Learn more about our new car by watching the videos below, where we explain the innovations on our car in more detail.
© Stichting Eco-Runner Team Delft 2022-2023