Greenpower España recognised the IES Montesclaros entry for covering the greatest distance on one battery charge. Team Cantabria now prepares for the season’s final race in Cartagena.
Every team in Greenpower’s national electric-vehicle competition uses the same batteries. Getting the most distance from that fixed supply is the challenge.
Greenpower España recognised Team Cantabria from IES Montesclaros for travelling farther on one charge than any other entry. The result reflects engineering choices as well as driving technique, and the team’s next test comes at the season finale in Cartagena.
Students in vocational training have spent years refining a vehicle built from a basic kit. With teacher David Cabielles, they have worked to cut drag and rolling resistance, while paying close attention to the car’s mechanical setup. Greenpower representative Pol says the team has developed a more efficient car than many rivals and has become an example for teams across the Iberian Peninsula.
Small losses matter. Unnecessary braking wastes energy, and the transmission ratio has to suit each circuit. Cabielles says the team studies past race data and uses simulation tools developed in the UK to estimate how the car should perform. Practice sessions then help them tune the setup to the track.
The Spain Classic Raid covers a long-distance route. Greenpower instead gives teams a fixed battery supply, making energy use the defining measure.
Driving is part of the project’s training. Olaya Mitowi, a third-year ESO student, has begun taking part in practice and preliminary tests. Several girls have also driven for the team in recent years, Cabielles says. Some circuit sections can reach 60 or 65 kilometres per hour, putting a premium on control and safety.
Health problems cut the team’s participation in some events this season. Cartagena’s circuit differs from the one in Reinosa. The team will also need to adapt its energy strategy after racing in Navarra.
Greenpower has more than 100 teams in the Iberian Peninsula and over 2,000 participating educational centres worldwide. The competition began in the UK in the late 1990s.
