Monday, 09 June 2025
糖心原创 power electronics researchers from the Faculty of Engineering have supported talented youngsters from three Nottingham primary schools to design, build and race their own electric racing cars.
The pupils from Old Basford Primary, Southwark Primary and Our Lady of Perpetual Succour took their electric vehicles onto the track for two days of racing against 30 schools from across the Midlands at the Curborough Sprint Track in Lichfield on June 5 and 6, 2025.
Twenty-three students from the three city schools took part in the project, which is organised annually by the Greenpower Education Trust, a charity that aims to excite young people about science and engineering.
Members of the university’s PEMC group and the cofounders of the university spinout, TTPi, Dr Liliana de Lillo and Professor Lee Empringham, guided the Nottingham pupils through the development during the past three months.
As well as being hands-on in school, working alongside the students, the pair were also in the pits on Race Day, helping the teams to hone the performance of the Goblin-class cars as they took on their rivals.
TTPi, a pioneering power electronics company, which develops cutting-edge technology for use in electric vehicles, was also proud to be a co-sponsor of the Staffordshire Greenpower Goblins event at Curborough, alongside the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Spacesuit.
“These children are amazing and bright, and they have done a brilliant job developing these cars,” said Dr de Lillo, who is a longtime supporter of the Greenpower Education Trust and a Senior Research Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Race Day is so exciting for them and us. It is the culmination of hours and hours of commitment and hard work. We hope that for some of these girls and boys, the project will show them how exciting science and engineering can be and encourage them to pursue a career in this field.
She added: “But whatever they decide to do in the future, we hope this experience will ignite their imagination, boost their confidence and show them they can pursue their interests and realise their dreams.”
One pupil from Old Basford Primary who took part in the event said: "It makes me feel really proud because it’s the first time Old Basford School has been in the kit car event."
Another young female mechanic added: "I have learned how to assemble the frame, and see how the buttons and wiring work.
"It was fun, the experience of being a mechanic it is not really in the curriculum," said another young engineer from Southwark Primary.
The Greenpower Education Trust is staging 23 schools’ race meetings throughout England and Scotland this summer.
Last year, more than 600 teams took part. Research by the Trust shows that participating in the project dramatically increases pupils’ interest in science, technology, engineering and maths, and improves their attitude to learning. In addition, the project has a positive impact on the youngsters’ social and emotional skills and boosts their abilities in critical thinking and project solving.
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More information is available from Dr Liliana de Lillo on Liliana.De_lillo@nottingham.ac.uk
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