Three teams, one UAE and two US, won the top prize in the second edition of the UAE Electric Vehicle Grand Prix (UAE EVGP) for high school students. The winning teams from Shenandoah Valley Virginia, Al Ittihad Private School, and Harissonburg High School were ranked based on the most laps completed at the race.
The race was held on March 2 at Al Forsan International Sports Resort in Abu Dhabi and drew more than 450 participating high school students.
The US team from Shenandoah Valley in Virginia joined as an independent team and won first place after completing 32 laps on a single battery charge. Second place overall and first place in the UAE was awarded to Ittihad Private School with a total of 30 laps.
Teams from schools in the UAE received awards in 12 of the 13 categories. UAE school teams placed first in the best performing new team, car workmanship, technical innovation, innovation in the use of 3D printing, best car graphics, best video, best photo, and the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) award.
The UAE EVGP 2024 was co-organized by Global EEE and 3elm Education and Training in partnership with the US Mission in the UAE, NYU Abu Dhabi, ProjoTech, Al Forsan International Sports Resort, and PepsiCo.
The panel of judges comprised leading experts from the private sector, academia, and government, including representatives from the US Department of Transportation and the Washington DC Department of Energy and Environment.
NYU Abu Dhabi Vice Chancellor Mariët Westermann said: “We congratulate the winners of the Electric Vehicle Grand Prix and commend all the participating teams. It is inspiring to see high school students combine academic learning with hands-on exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts in an exciting real-world context.
"We are proud to serve as the academic partner. We will continue working at NYU Abu Dhabi to prepare and empower the next generation to explore cutting-edge technologies and drive positive change toward a sustainable future.”
Lina Lampkin from 3elm Education said: “We imagine that the students from the UAE building the electrical vehicles in this program will shape the future of sustainable mobility tomorrow. We witnessed the students’ innovation and creativity during the student cantered and fun race day and we congratulate all participants and winners.
"The UAE EVGP program is one of our flagship projects at 3elm Education because we believe in creating hope for the future through education.”