High school students shine bright in electric car challenge

August 2, 2018

The Academy for Bright Future Young Engineers of HKUST and CLP Holdings Limited (CLP) jointly organized a four-day Electric Vehicle (EV) Summer Program for secondary students from July 9 to July 12, aiming to spark STEM interests among the young generation.

Forty-one students from five secondary schools, namely Queen’s College, Tseung Kwan O Government Secondary School, Immaculate Heart of Mary College, St Mary’s Canossian College, and HKTA Tang Hin Memorial Secondary School, formed four teams to build their one-and-only electric cars. A competition was held on July 12 to select the best drivable car on aesthetics, engineering, and overall performance. The students’ creativity and problem-solving skills are put to test in designing and assembling their electric cars.

Immaculate Heart of Mary College was crowned champion, while the runner-up was Queen’s College. St Mary’s Canossian College and HKTA Tang Hin Memorial Secondary School received the Aesthetic Award, and the Engineering Award went to Tseung Kwan O Government Secondary School.

Apart from the EV building competition, during the program, the students were given a tour of CLP’s EV fleet and the CLP Power Low Carbon Energy Education Centre where they learned about the development of EV and the low carbon future. Also, an expert on EV charging solutions, was invited to share with the students the latest EV charging technologies.

Prof. Tim Cheng, HKUST Dean of Engineering, said, “If you look at the past two decades, you will see the rapidly rising number of engineering corporations among the world’s top companies. So engineers do have a very bright future!”

“Engineering is not just calculation and finding solutions. It is ultimately the creation of products to make the world a better place to live in. A successful engineer is one who has a strong social mission and works hard to accomplish that mission,” said Mr. Chow Tang Fai, Senior Advisor – Strategy of CLP Power and Director of Smart Charge.