"Ultra-modern supercar", "record-breaking", "miracle vehicle": these are just a few examples of the media reactions to the first public rollout of the Nuevo35 on Wednesday, August 10, 2022.
The event on the LaSiSe test track in Selm was meticulously prepared with great effort by the students of the project at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Faculty of Design. Precisely pitched presentations on the many sub-areas of the project were built. Invited companies. Organized an extensive program: Rides in the Nuevo35, karting, aquaplaning evasion exercises, plus food and chilled drinks to beat the heat.
The goal was the eagerly awaited answer to the question: How is the "GREEN-Gen" project, from which the Nuevo35 emerged, being received by Business Studies and the public?
"Very, very well," says project manager Prof. Dr. Yves Rosefort. "The feedback from industry has been very positive. Not only for the technical aspects of the project, but also for the fact that the students are extremely committed to their work. The fact that the students can put all the theory, mechanics and mathematics into practice here is a huge motivation."
The fascinating "35"
Camera crews from TV stations were on site and asked "a lot of in-depth questions", said Prof. Rosefort after the event. The main reason for this is probably the significance of the number "35" in the project name: The CO2 emissions of the Nuevo35 during its entire life cycle - production, an estimated 400,000 kilometers of driving and recycling - converted to each kilometer driven, reach the spectacularly low value of 35 grams of CO2. By comparison, the limit value for new cars in Germany is 95 grams per kilometer - excluding production and disposal.
The industry representatives were equally fascinated by the interdisciplinary way in which the prototype was created. The mechanical engineering students worked in twelve teams on the individual aspects of the vehicle, such as the chassis and steering, gas engine conversion, cooling, longitudinal dynamics and more. The project management team was responsible for controlling and coordinating all teams.
Dr. Björn Peters, Deputy Federal Chairman of the German Employers' Association, called "the creativity of the students and teachers very impressive. Anyone who has ever worked on a large project with several sub-teams knows how difficult it is to combine the teams. They really seem to have succeeded here. Big praise to everyone involved!"
Cooperation network
Prof. Dr. Thomas Straßmann, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, listed the levels of cooperation in his welcoming address: "The project has not only brought together people from the study programs of Mechanical Engineering(Opens in a new tab) and Vehicle Development(Opens in a new tab) within the Faculty, but also first and second semester students and their different levels of knowledge. We also integrated the Bachelor's students into the Master's course with sub-tasks and worked on topics such as sustainable energy storage in cooperation with other engineering courses such as electrical engineering."
"Finally, since October 2019," continued Prof. Straßmann, "we have been bringing together the worlds of Mechanical Engineering and the Faculty of Design, where Prof. Martin Middelhauve is developing the bodywork for the Nuevo35 with a number of students." The next step in the cooperation with the Faculty of Design is the selection of the design for the body. The jury will be made up of members from both faculties.
The Nuevo35 is not a prototype of a future production vehicle that could compete with the major brands in the automotive industry. In the words of Dean Prof. Straßmann, it is "a platform on which to research, develop and build ideas". Ideas that can benefit the entire industry and advance the values that guide the faculty and the entire Fachhochschule Dortmund: Sustainability, social responsibility and careful use of resources.
Annual relay handover
The students work on the project for one year at a time, after which new students take over the teams and the research. Around 80 students from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and 12 students from the Faculty of Design are currently involved in the GREEN-Gen/Nuevo35 project, as well as several lecturers from both faculties.
