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Young engineers take on hybrid-electric car challenge in Abu Dhabi

The event is open to the public on Thursday and Friday at Al Forsan Sports Resort, Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: More than 100 young engineers from the GCC will converge on Al Forsan International Sports Resort in Abu Dhabi this Thursday and Friday to compete in the region’s first hybrid-electric car challenge.Entry is free of charge and the event is open to the public from 10:30am onwards on both days.Sponsored by TAQA and hosted by the Petroleum Institute with support from Emirates Foundation for Youth Development, the event is part of a series of international races organised by Global EEE, a US-based not-for-profit organisation, promoting education, energy efficiency and environmental consciousness.The 2014 TAQA GCC Hybrid-Electric Challenge is no conventional car race, however. The engineering students from 11 university teams around the region must design a car and devise a race strategy that makes their car go furthest on a limited amount of energy.“The students have been given a fantastic opportunity to develop faster and more energy efficient vehicles and over the next two days we will see who stands out above the rest,” said Dr Saif Al Sayari, TAQA’s Executive Officer and Head of Energy Solutions.“TAQA is thrilled to be bringing the first hybrid car challenge to the region. It demonstrates our commitment to supporting young engineers and encouraging the development of alternative energy technologies. The students will have a chance to put some of their engineering skills into practice while having fun at the same time.”Dr Ismail Tag, acting President and Provost at The Petroleum Institute (PI), said: “In addition to hosting the competition, PI is also fielding two all-female teams and one all-male team, and we are excited about the experience they will gain from interacting with their fellow GCC students.”The engineering students taking part – both male and female – have been drawn from the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi University, UAE University, Khalifa University; the Masdar Institute; the Nizwa College of Technology in Oman; the College of Technological Studies in Kuwait; and Qatar University.Each team have spent the past five months designing and constructing their single-seater, lightweight hybrid cars to stringent race design and safety rules.The two stage competition opens with the Electric Grand Prix (E-GP), with teams trying to drive their vehicles as far as possible in one hour, using only the energy stored in their batteries. The second day is the Hybrid-Electric Grand Prix (HE-GP), where teams combine petrol and electric power to travel the maximum distance on the least amount of energy in three hours.Only when the results of both the E-GP and H-GP are combined can the overall challenge winner be declared.A range of family activities and entertainment will take place around the event, with a bouncy castle and play area for children, food and beverage stalls, and a “Think Science” area hosted by Emirates Foundation for Youth Development. Spectators will also have the chance to meet the teams, find out about the cars and understand the hurdles the students have had to face along the way.   – ENDS -For further information:TAQA External Communications, Abu DhabiAllan Virtanen
Head of Media
Tel +971 2 691 4894
Mob +971 56 685 2717
Allan.Virtanen@taqa.comAbout TAQATAQA, meaning energy in Arabic, is the brand name of Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC. We are an international energy and water company listed in Abu Dhabi operating in 11 countries across four continents.
We strive to be safe and sustainable, and embrace the challenge of delivering affordable and reliable energy and water. We are proud to align our strategy with Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030, a roadmap for a sustainable economy with a focus on knowledge-based industry.
Our interests lie in conventional and alternative power generation, water desalination, oil and gas exploration and production, pipelines and gas storage. We operate in Canada, Ghana, India, Iraq, Morocco, the Netherlands, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.Petroleum Institute Public Relations DepartmentAhmed Rashed Al Rashedi
Public Relations Manager
Tel: +971 26075500
Mob: +971 55 800 6666
aalrashed@pi.ac.aeAbout The Petroleum InstituteThe Petroleum Institute University and Research Center (PI) was established in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates in 2001 with a goal of becoming a world-class institution in both engineering education and energy industry research. PI currently has 1200 undergraduate and graduate students, 200 faculty, and has quickly become a leading teaching and research institution in the Middle East region. The PI’s sponsors and affiliates include the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and four major international oil companies that include BP, Japan Oil Development Company, Shell and Total. The campus has modern instructional laboratories and classroom facilities, and will soon host a major research center, the PI Research Center (PIRC) scheduled to open in 2014.