July 23, 2009
On 25 July at 19:04 hours the moment was there to announce the winners of the legendary Hybrid Auto Rickshaw Contest…The winner of the 2-stroke category is HAN University of applied sciences!!!The winner of the 4-stroke category is SRM University!!The winner of the TUKS prize is…also HAN University of applied sciences!! Yesterday was a huge success, also press-wise.. Indian National tv channels, radio and newspapers fully covered the event and conference.Thank you for all the support!The battle might be over, but the adventure continuous. We will have to make the next step on our journey to increase the quality of life of the tuktuk drivers and reduce air pollution. Stay posted for the latest developments!
July 23, 2009
The Hybrid Auto Rickshaw contest has officially taken off!! Yesterday the Jury and the Battle Staf informed the participating students about the program for today and the upcoming days. The track, the students, the volunteers, the auto rickshaws, everything and everybody is ready to perform the tests that are so important to pinpoint the technologies of the future.
Before the rickshaws can enter the track to see how efficient they are, they have to be checked if they are converted according the rules of the competition. The scrutinizing of the autos happened yesterday and after some minor changes they have been locked up so that nobody can tweek them without the Jury’s notice.
The day was closed by an amazing show organized by the SRM University. The Dutch and Indian students danced hand in hand on the glorious Indian (for the Dutch completely new) tunes. Songs and dance moves were shared, which helped easing the tension of the first part of the day and stress for the upcoming tests.
The students got their beloved vehicles back this morning and will start with the fuel efficient test at 9 am IST. The teams of Hanze University and M.S. Ramaiah have been facing severe technical drawbacks, and they can’t participate in today’s race. Fingers crossed that all remaining teams make it to the finish line today!
July 22, 2009
This morning 8.00 hours the final event of the Hybrid Autorickshaw Battle (tuktuk) started! Although, their is a lot of pressure on the teams, there is a good vibe hanging around. Stef van Dongen (director Enviu) welcomed everyone and emphasized once more the purpose of the battle: develop an affordable technology and business case to increase the quality of live of the auto drivers and reduce emissions. Satish Beella head of the jury clearly explained the rules and the detailed program and off we went. The several teams are helping each other out and several cultural activities are planned. Unfortunately, the first Indian team dropped out. Also a Dutch team is having problems and got extra time to fix their engine. We are keeping you posted.
