Regional Results: Bay of Plenty

Words by Jessica Cathro

It was a beautiful sunny day in Rotorua on the 6th November when teams from across the Bay of Plenty assembled in the Rydges Carpark to showcase the electric vehicles they had spent the year designing.

13 teams from 6 different schools and organisations with 53 students participated in 5 different events. All teams started with an economy run. The aim was to drive energy efficient in order to go as far as possible on a limited amount of power. Next teams split up to rotate through a drag race (fastest speed wins), gymkhana and obstacle course which tested their speed and manoeuvrability and finally a presentation where teams explained their design process and learning journey to an industry judge.

The journey for teams started in March with an introduction to the event and a workshop to start the planning for their vehicle. Throughout the year build days were run at Toi-Ohomai Rotorua and Rotorua Lakes High School. Teams brought along their materials and built their vehicles under the supervision of engineering mentors who provided valuable insight into design problems including developing suitable steering and motor mounts.

Covid restriction levels meant that teams had to get creative in completing their vehicles and it is a testament to their teachers, whānau and coaches that 13 teams made it to the start line as many other teams around the country did not make it.

For the majority of teams attending this was their first year being involved and with the average age being 13, the variety of vehicles was impressive. There were a range of technical hitches on the day but support was on hand from our judges who quickly jumped into action to ensure all teams were able to compete on the day. A special thanks to our amazing judges from Vortex, Dobbie, Patchells, Rotorua Lakes Council, Toi-Ohomai and other local engineers.