DNV Fuel Fighter
Shell Eco-Marathon is an annual competition for High Schools and Universities in all of Europe, competing in who can make the most fuel efficient vehicle, using the energy equivalent to one litre of petrol. There are two classes; Urban Concept and Prototype. Photo: org.ntnu.no.
DNV Fuel Fighter is a small hydrogen powered car build by students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). The project is the students’ Master thesis for the school year 2008/2009. DNV is the main sponsor of the NTNU team.
“DNV’s vision is to make a global impact for a sustainable future. The DNV Fuel Fighter is a symbol of our dual efforts towards developing technologies and solutions for the new energy economy, as well as our firm belief in the further investment in human capital. Competent people is the most important resources we have, and we appreciate the cooperation with the students and the universities,” says President and CEO of DNV, Henrik O. Madsen.
The race
The principle of the Shell Eco-marathon is simple: to design and build a vehicle that uses the least amount of fuel to travel the farthest distance. Conventional fuels such as diesel, petrol/gasoline and liquid petroleum gas, as well as alternatives like GTL, solar, ethanol, hydrogen and biofuels can power the vehicles. The DNV sponsored car runs on hydrogen, and its ambition was to beat the current world record and win its category by driving at least 1000km on the energy equivalent of one litre of petrol. The name “DNV Fuel Fighter” was suggested by DNV employee Milind Aundhkar, who won a trip to watch the race in Germany.
Cooperation with NTNU
DNV and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement in 2008. The agreement entails that DNV finance ten professorships and assist NTNU by providing guest speakers, contributing to student projects, such as the DNV Fuel Fighter, and providing professional collaboration on many levels.
This is the largest university agreement DNV has ever entered into. An underlying reason for entering into the agreement with NTNU is the growing concern that technological and scientific studies are being overlooked by politicians in Norway. “We recruit engineers from all over the world. China, India, Singapore and many other states with technological colleges and universities are beginning to lead the way in the most important subject areas. There are many other countries with fewer resources that put more emphasis on higher education and research than Norway,” says Henrik O. Madsen.
Source: Dnv
