Stuttgart students driving to success against the wind

August 28, 2017

Third place in the Aeolus Race 2017

Team InVentus, with students from the University of Stuttgart, has raced to success in the 10th Aeolus Race in The Netherlands (August 26/27). The team achieved third place with its self-built wind-powered vehicle. On the second day in particular, the students from Stuttgart showed that they are at the top of their game when, despite the low wind speed, they clearly had the fastest vehicle on the second day of the race, on the stretch along the Den Helder dike. With a stronger wind behind them on the first day, the Canadian team from Montreal proved that they had the most efficient vehicle driving against the wind and even set a new speed record. This impressive performance secured them first place in the overall ranking. A total of seven teams from five countries took part in the competition, with nine self-designed vehicles.

Team InVentus was established in 2007 and celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, just like the Aeolus Race! The team premises are located at the University of Stuttgart’s Institute of Aircraft Design and currently comprises 15 Bachelor’s and Master’s students from a range of very different disciplines. The vehicle used in the race was the third version of the InVentus wind-powered vehicle and was designed, measured and built entirely by the team. The team is supported by not only be numerous institutes at the University of Stuttgart, but also by a number of regional sponsors.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Middendorf, head of the institute, is delighted by the team’s success: “The fact that Team InVentus has existed for so long and that it consistently enjoys success at international competitions is an achievement for the students and a great advertisement for our institute and the University of Stuttgart. I wish the team continuing success, lots of wind and of course fun for the next ten years as they implement the knowledge and skills they learn during their studies.”

Team InVentus would like to thank the institutes and numerous sponsors for their long-term support. The team is determined and motivated to continue developing the vehicle with the aim of harnessing the power of the wind to travel faster than the wind itself. The goal for next year’s Aeolus Race is to be at least as successful as this year’s team, or if possible, to bring the winner’s trophy back to Stuttgart.

www.inventus.uni-stuttgart.de/

To the top of the page