Building the future together! That’s the motto of student team HAN Hydromotive with 2nd-year HAN Automotive.

In a special room (Canopé Lodge) in the Safari Meeting Centre of Burgers’ Zoo, students Maarten van der Kleij and Jelmer Gasseling organised a successful networking reception on Friday afternoon 10 March. HAN Hydromotive presented its plans for the coming months to lecturers, alumni and sponsors. Inside it was nice and warm in a sustainable environment, while meanwhile it started snowing heavily outside!

Since 2009, Automotive students have been building a sustainable and economical hydrogen city car. Every year, a new group of students starts working on the car of the previous group to apply new sustainable innovations. The aim is participation in the Shell Ecomarathon, which this year will be run on a circuit near Toulouse in southern France.

New rules urban class

The rules of the urban class in which HAN Hydromotive is participating have changed considerably this year. As a result, the students have to work extra hard to meet the new rules. During the networking event, the goals under the new rules were explained and how the students plan to achieve them. For instance, they were told how they will save weight in different ways and what the new HM23 will look like!

Student Sven Tangeman, who does the team’s PR, explained further. “Currently, our team is entering the production phase and major changes will be made to the car. Of course, these will be seen on the team’s social media so keep a close eye on them! In order to set an even better time and also to achieve an even longer distance, the new hydrogen car will have more rounded shapes.”

Of this, Erik Rijpstra, an employee of the PR department of the School of Engineering and Automotive, was given a 3D-printed scale model in his hand. This shows how the HM23 is going to be.

Collaborating with sponsors

A number of teachers, Automotive alumni and representatives of sponsors like Askom Techniek and DutchVans had some fun and interesting conversations over drinks and snacks.

Sponsors are keen to work with HAN students so that they can help solve questions they receive from the market or to realise their own innovative ideas. Beautiful new assignments are just waiting to be picked up, so to speak, for all students connected to our school! You can contact HAN Hydromotive student Sven Tangeman about this by sending him an e-mail or an app.

Source: HAN Hydromotive
Photography: Jelmer Gasseling and Sven Tangeman