With the official competition period underway a few additional competitions have started for the team. One of these competitions is the Sustainable Driving competition. This task challenges students to drive an electric vehicle, a Chevrolet Bolt 2019 model, to a range of designations around Dubai. Completion of the drive is a requirement to gain the initial points, and then the rest of the points are gained through an assessment of the most efficient driving.

As one of the drivers of the electric vehicle I performed research of efficient driving techniques, factors affecting electric vehicle efficiency and optimal travelling speeds specifically for the Bolt. It basically sums up to ‘Drive slow’, which as it turns out makes for a very scenic tour of surrounding area. Not that I am worried about that, the harsh environment that the organisers have chosen for the SDME 2018 has a striking beauty, the power lines among the sand dunes with the occasional cyclist, oasis, and antelope.

At first glance the driving competition seems misplaced, we are after all building a house and many of the competitions focus on the house. However I think the organisers want to capture the full experience of managing the energy in all aspects of life. If we can encourage people to drive sustainably not only are we reducing our carbon footprint, we might also save some cash.

Our time in Dubai has really been an adventure to talk about during the years to come, and it’s not over yet!

– Macleay Stephenson, Building Services Team