Greenpower Education Trust

The challenge across four distinct age groups is the same – to design, build and race a single seat sustainably powered car.
The challenges begin with 9-11 year olds who build the Goblin car from a supplied kit and then create their own bodywork to complete the car. The project can often be the first time children have used simple hand tools and worked with electricity and motors. Cars and their drivers are then put through a series of tests at one of our regional event with prizes awarded to top teams and top cars.
The next stage is Formula 24, the senior school class, although also competed in by youth groups and Young Engineers clubs. The challenge here is to use either a supplied chassis or component kit or, using supplied motor and batteries only, to build a car within Greenpower’s safety regulations to compete in a four hour endurance race, aiming to be the car that completes the furthest distance within that time. Distance records for the various events are now creeping up, with the best this year being an impressive 131 miles.
Formula 24+ attracts teams from 6th forms, FE colleges, universities, apprentices, University Technical Colleges and the graduate team from Jaguar Land Rover. The race for Formula 24+ is just 90 minutes and uses two sets of batteries, meaning that the cars can be geared higher thereby achieving higher speeds (approaching 50 mph). Formula 24+ teams also have to compete in at least three events to compete in a championship style competition. 
Finally, for those who do not fit into any of the above age groups or cannot commit to the F24+ championship there is the annual Corporate Challenge, attracting the likes of Bentley, MIRA, Lockheed Martin, Prodrive and many other technology and non-technology companies. This year’s Corporate Challenge will be run simultaneously with the Goodwood final round of the F24+ championship in October.