Hundreds of high school pupils from the UAE and overseas met in Abu Dhabi on Saturday to race their 28 hand-built electric cars.
Students spent months researching and testing their brightly coloured three-wheeled vehicles to showcase them at the second annual UAE Electric Vehicle Grand Prix.
The event, held at the Al Forsan International Sports Resort, saw more than 400 students from 28 high schools in the UAE, US, Egypt and Italy come together to put their creations through their paces.
There were 21 teams from the UAE, five from the US and one team apiece from Egypt and Italy. Each were guided by teachers and technical experts.
“What really excites me is being able to learn so much. This can't be measured,” 16-year-old Saeed Al Mulla, who was taking part in his first race, told The National,
The engineers too are mainly girls. They built the car and many are planning to pursue engineering in university
Farishtey Farhad,
student at the Al Basma British School in Abu Dhabi
The Emirati student, who attends Al Ittihad Private School in Dubai's Jumeirah, said he built a sensor to track the car's performance and battery efficiency for his team, the IPSJ Falcons.
“My part is to focus on reliability,” he said.
“We focused on the mechanical and strategic side to optimise motor efficiency and how the drivers should pace out electrical consumption throughout the race.”
Real-world experience
Preparing for Saturday's race helped the pupils work out why the battery was heating up and how to reconfigure sensors emitting inaccurate data.
“I knew nothing about mechanical engineering or how a car actually works before this,” Saeed said.
“This has taught me that if you work hard, you can do well in a field you know nothing about.”
The passion to learn more about sustainability was evident among all the teams, with participants keen to gain real-world experience.
“We have to make sure we don't flip the car because if we take a turn too tight, that is a possibility,” said Hailey Preuss, a first-time race driver visiting from the US with the Shenandoah Valley Short Circuits club.
The 16-year-old moved from the pit crew to taking the wheel this year.
“I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I like the thrill of going fast,” she said.
“It's a totally different way of thinking from the pit crew where the main goal is to get the driver in and out, to actually having to focus on conserving the car's energy.”
Hailey said she had enjoyed visiting the UAE.
“This is the first time I have ever left the US. It has been an amazing experience of a different culture, seeing the architecture and a different landscape,” she said.
Girl power
Her team has an all-female driving crew.
“This year we are female-dominated. We only have two males in our team of seven,” she said.
High female participation was evident in other teams too.
“We have 16 people in our team and the majority are girls,” said Farishtey Farhad, a team leader from the Al Basma British School in Abu Dhabi.
“The engineers, too, are mainly girls. They built the car and many are planning to pursue engineering in university.”
The 18-year-old heads the marketing and social media section of her team, Basma Blaze, and spoke of the benefits of teamwork.
“We spent hours working on the car, understanding how to get things done efficiently, making sure the car is more comfortable for the drivers.
“It was important for us to have the creative freedom to work on every aspect of the car.
Green technology
“It was also important to get out promotional videos to spread awareness about electric cars,” she added.
Hailey said that the sight of her own team working on their electric car had sparked curiosity in her Virginia neighbourhood.
“Electric vehicles are not common in the area I live in,” she said.
“When people see our team, they say, 'This is really cool that you build an electric car and get to race it.' ”
Her teammate, Andrew Berry, analysed the car's data to provide drivers with more information on tactics.
“It takes a lot to maintain and balance out the car,” the 16-year-old said.
The competition has prompted the teenagers to think of the benefits of working on green technology.
“I think electric vehicles are the future,” Andrew said.
“We have problems with global warming and if we use solar and electric cars, it can cut down carbon emissions for a better future.”
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali
Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000
Engine 6.2L V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
Pushkin Press
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
On sale: now
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
The biog
DOB: March 13, 1987
Place of birth: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but lived in Virginia in the US and raised in Lebanon
School: ACS in Lebanon
University: BSA in Graphic Design at the American University of Beirut
MSA in Design Entrepreneurship at the School of Visual Arts in New York City
Nationality: Lebanese
Status: Single
Favourite thing to do: I really enjoy cycling, I was a participant in Cycling for Gaza for the second time this year
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
'The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting up a Generation for Failure'
Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, Penguin Randomhouse
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 0
Manchester City 2
Bernardo Silva 54', Sane 66'
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
MATCH INFO
New Zealand 176-8 (20 ovs)
England 155 (19.5 ovs)
New Zealand win by 21 runs
The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6-cylinder%2C%204.8-litre%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E5-speed%20automatic%20and%20manual%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E280%20brake%20horsepower%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E451Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh153%2C00%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
