ABB Engineer Carlos Godoy visited Foxwell State Secondary College last week to help students prepare to take part in Australia’s first-ever Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix. The visit was part of ABB’s partnership with Horizon Educational, providing students with opportunities to explore renewable energy education and develop much-needed technical skills to decarbonise energy production in Australia.
ABB are sponsoring two teams from Foxwell State Secondary College – the ABB Foxwell Lightening Queens and the ABB Foxwheel Angels. These teams are currently designing and constructing their hydrogen-powered 1:10 scale race cars before being given the opportunity to put their renewable energy engineering skills to the test over a 4-hour ‘endurance race’, scheduled for April 21st at the Gladstone Entertainment Convention Centre.
"I was impressed by the level of commitment, teamwork and expertise of the students at Foxwell High School," said Carlos Godoy, Excitation Control Systems – Sales Manager at ABB. "Seeing the extension of STEM in today’s curriculum program provides me with hope for the future of the industry I work in.”
“The progress the two ABB teams have made with their cars is commendable”, said Ales Rakovsky, Director of APAC at Horizon Educational. “These students are the future of Australia’s renewable energy economy. The advanced engineering skills they’ve learned constructing hydrogen-powered 1:10 scale cars will put them in a good position to be leading tomorrow’s innovation in industry, developing the next-generation fuel cells, batteries and solar panels that will be vital in decarbonising the economy”.
The H2GP initiative is a global school-based science and engineering program run by Horizon Educational, providing hands-on experience designing, engineering and racing radio-controlled fuel cell electric vehicles powered by hydrogen. Students taking part gain employable skills in science and technology while also developing competence in critical thinking, creativity and teamwork.
