Racing times: Tonbridge boys build their own electric car

Boys from Tonbridge School are hoping they have the winning formula for success as they design and build an electric racing car. 

For the first time, the school is taking part in the Formula 24+ series, a competition aimed at secondary schools and universities across the country.

Run by Greenpower Education Trust, the series will see the boys competing at various national motor circuits such as Goodwood and Brands Hatch in the new year. 

Supervised by Design Technology and Physics teacher Dr Adam Cooke and technician Rob Davies, the boys are involved in all aspects of preparing their single-seater, battery-powered car for competitive races. Dr Cooke said: “The project is much more than just assembling the kit and going racing on weekends. It involves all of the other tasks that need to be completed by professional racing teams, including logo and livery design, testing the car and developing its aerodynamics. 

“While the basic kit is supplied by Greenpower, and the batteries and motor are standardised, the shell of the car is open to development and is very much down to the work of the boys. This is truly physics and engineering in action, but the project will also test their creativity, problem-solving skills and teamwork ethic.”

The Tonbridge team features four Upper Sixth boys, Kin Sing Lau (MH5), Fernando Almansa (JH5) Josh Holmes (PS5) and Jasper Driessen (WH5), and four Lower Sixth: Mark Tarakanov (MH4), Alex Lawrence (PS4), Max Lawrence (PS4) and Angus Anderson (WH4). The boys will continue to develop the car in the coming weeks as they prepare for their first race.

The Formula 24+ series has the backing of several industrial giants, such as Siemens, Ford, the IET and BMWi. Greenpower Education Trust is a UK based charity which promotes Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM subjects) through the excitement of motorsport.

Picture: The battery-powered car is now under construction.