E’ iniziato all’insegna del risparmio energetico il weekend di Fernando Alonso e Kimi Raikkonen sul circuito di Spa-Francorchamps, teatro della 12° prova del Campionato del Mondo di Formula 1. Accompagnati da Mike Evans – Project Leader di Shell – alla scoperta di veicoli ad altissima efficienza energetica, i due piloti hanno incontrato i progettisti, studenti selezionati tra gli iscritti alla Shell Eco-marathon, l’evento ideato dal partner tecnico della Scuderia Ferrari che mette a confronto squadre provenienti da tutto il mondo e dove vince chi copre la distanza maggiore utilizzando l’equivalente di 1 kWh o di 1 litro di carburante.
Prima di dare vita ad un singolare carosello al volante dei sei prototipi condotti in prossimità della celebre curva de La Source, Fernando e Kimi si sono intrattenuti a lungo con i giovani ingegneri impegnati – grazie all’iniziativa di Shell – a favore della sostenibilità ambientale. Molto meno potenti ma più ‘verdi’ gli innovativi autoveicoli, per il migliore dei quali sono sufficienti 2,2 i millilitri di carburante – l’equivalente di un cucchiaino da caffè – per percorrere un giro di pista, rispetto al valore attestato tra i due e i tre litri impiegati da una vettura di Formula 1 sullo stesso tracciato.
HANNO DETTO
“It was a nice experience driving such a special car! Along with the other cars here, the numbers show that it’s super efficient! It’s really incredible to think that with just one litre of fuel, cars of this type can cover over 3600 kilometres. I think all the work done in universities on the topic of energy saving is very useful, because even if it’s not applicable at the moment, it certainly will be for cars of the future.”
Fernando Alonso
“I already met some of the students this year in Goodwood at the Festival of Speed and drove their simulator. It’s normal to drive apart from the low speeds and they look simple on the outside but actually they are more complicated cars and the students that build them are very smart people. I think the Shell Eco-marathon is an excellent event and gives the students a good way to learn and improve and hopefully move into bigger things in the future.”
“Energy efficiency is now one of the key factors for Formula One teams in 2014 and moving forwards. As such, it’s amazing to see these students using the same technologies as the teams to keep improving SEM technology and vehicle design.
It’s extremely important to have a younger generation of innovative engineers and scientists raising questions and taking part in events such as the Shell Eco-marathon and today has provided a great opportunity to see first-hand how we work together with the students to develop the latest innovations in the fields of science and technology on a daily basis. Their work is really inspiring. I wish I’d been given this opportunity when I was at school!”
Mike Evans, Shell’s Formula One™ Fuels Project Leader
