The ultra-low consumption vehicle prototype ‘Dàtil’23’ of the group of students from the Higher Polytechnic School of Elche (EPSE) of the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) has achieved fifth place in the ‘Shell Eco-Marathon Europe 2023 ‘, within the category of internal combustion prototypes. The competition has been held in the town of Nogaro (France) and welcomed more than 100 teams from Europe and Africa.

Source: UMH

The UMH team is made up of nine students from the Degree in Mechanical Engineering, one from the Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and one student from the Degree in Psychology. During the course they have worked on the construction of the ‘Dàtil’23’ prototype, coordinated by the professors of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Energy of the UMH David Abellán and Miguel Ángel Oliva.

The team obtained a mark of 1,509 km/l, just 6 km from fourth place. In addition, they had problems with the brakes and electronics which, added to the weather conditions, prevented them from carrying out all the runs. To solve the problems, the support of other teams was important, something that characterizes the spirit of this competition.

The prototype, conceived and built entirely at the UMH, has been optimized with the aim of minimizing drag. Also, the updates required by the test regulations have been made. It has been manufactured with carbon fiber composite material and a final vehicle weight of 30 kg has been achieved. For its part, the engine (entirely designed and built at the UMH) and the control system have been optimized to run on ethanol.

The experience acquired by the UMH students in previous years has made it possible to manufacture a self-supporting body, built with carbon fiber sandwich panels. The ‘Dátil’23’ optimizes weight and minimizes friction when cornering. The UMH vehicle measures 3 meters long, 60 centimeters wide and 50 centimeters high.

The ‘Shell Eco-Marathon Europe 2023’ race consists of completing 10 laps of the Paul Armagnac circuit in Nogaro to see which of the participating vehicles has covered the most kilometers with one liter of fuel.

Source: UMH

The sponsors of the UMH ‘Dàtil’23’ are the UMH Infrastructure Office, the Higher Polytechnic School of Elche, the Volund Group and Mediterráneo Chapa y Pintura, S.L.