With a brand new tested car, the
team drove from Sweden to France. Yes, two cars and a carrier truck were loaded
with the ES17 car, equipment and us, and we were on the road for nearly 30 hours.
Since I wasn’t one of the drivers, BEST ROADTRIP EVER! We drove through Sweden,
Denmark, Germany, Belgium and reached France. Although it was one of the most
beautiful experiences of my life, a recommendation to future teams would be to
simply take a flight.
At France, we were greeted by
many other talented teams with cars just like ours. The team celebrated after
passing the technical inspection. It was then time for the moment of truth, the
endurance test. 10 laps with the given amount of fuel in the specified time. It
was the most nervous we’ve all been and some of us could not bring ourselves to
watch the race. After 8 and a half laps, the car stopped and would not turn
back on. It was towed back to the pit. The team was gutted. Almost one year of
arduous work and one and half laps short of putting up a result.
What happened next is one of my
favourite things about Chalmers and the people here. At Chalmers, we are
constantly encouraged to try and never to be afraid of failures. Failures are
considered as the best lessons for success. Sven Andersson, our wonderful
faculty advisor often quoted Mark Twain, “Continuous improvement is better than
delayed perfection”. He reminded us this once again when we gathered together
after the race. We had made great progress and we knew exactly where we fell short. We
had a clear list of strengths and improvements for subsequent teams and they now had a well-grounded start point. Knowing
this, a sense of accomplishment and urge spread across us all.
University is a halfway house
between home and finding a job. We have the responsibilities for a young adult
and still the freedom to make mistakes and fail. Student projects such as these
are wonderful platforms for one to learn real life skills in a secure
environment and I will be grateful to Chalmers for allowing me to be part of this
and many such teams.
Written by: Keerthana Jayaprakash