Students of the University of Azuay will participate in international competition for energy efficiency

Fifteen students and two professors from the Faculty of Automotive Engineering of the University of Azuay make up the UDA E - TEAM team, which will compete in the Shell Eco Marathon of the Americas 2019.

This energy efficiency competition will bring together universities from around the world, from the 3 to the 6 in April in Sonoma - California.

To participate, UDA E - TEAM created a prototype gasoline vehicle that, according to Francisco Torres, teacher and project director, has an approximate performance of 180 kilometers per liter, which would represent an efficiency of 4 times more than a street vehicle .

In the prototype the students worked for a year and a half, in brake systems, transmission, engine, steering and bodywork, said student Mateo Chalco, team leader.

Once ready, Bernardo García will be the one who drives him totally lying down and with his head raised. The tests started a month ago. "I searched the Internet, I did the lifting of the track and I'm memorizing, I've also taken care of myself in the diet because I can not gain weight," he explained.

The pilot weighs 52 kilos and with the special suit and helmet reaches 55 kilos.

But this is not the first time that Universidad del Azuay represents the country in this international event. In the 2016 he did it with an electric vehicle and they received the prize for efficiency and perseverance; and in the 2018 they obtained the position 14, among 32 universities.