The 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth coincides with the 800th anniversary of the University of Cambridge where Darwin studied before becoming a travelling companion to Captain Robert Fitzroy of HMS Beagle to what was to become the port of Darwin in 1837.

The University of Cambridge was founded 800 years ago this year and as a further marker; the university has submitted its debut entrant to the Global Green challenge solar race that leaves Darwin on the 25th October.

Cambridge University Eco Racing (CUER) and their car Endeavour are now based in Darwin at BOC in Winnellie.  CUER hope to finish in the top ten of the entrants in this year’s race, the best a British team has ever done, and this will lay the groundwork for a successful return in two years time.  The team is made up of 60 undergraduates who have spent the last year designing and building Endeavour alongside finishing their studies.

Endeavour’s chassis is an aluminium space-farm with a 6m ² covering of high-efficiency silicon cells that capture energy from the sun.  Underneath, the car is an ultra-efficient electric vehicle which designers believe could provide a model for future technological developments in ‘green living’.  It can run at 100kph on the same power as a hairdryer, meaning that it requires only 5% of the power of a normal, petrol-fuelled vehicle.

Cambridge students follow Darwin’s lead in the development of new ideas and technologies that could have a real impact on the future of world transportation.  They will be put to the ultimate test in the epic 3000km race across the Australian Outback and it is here in Darwin the CUER has been putting Endeavour through her paces to ensure that she is race ready for the race start from State Square on the 25th.

Local Companies Support CUER

CUER received a very warm welcome from our sponsors BOC in Winnellie.  They are providing us with crucial office and workshop space whilst the team brings the car up to competition standard.  We are grateful to BOC for providing the facilities necessary for us to work on Endeavour, having the appropriate space whilst we make her race ready in an invaluable asset for CUER.

CUER is happy to welcome on board local sponsors, Global Gossip who have provided wireless internet access for the team.
We would also like to thank The Coffee club, Mitchell Street for providing a much needed caffeine boost.

Darwin welcomes CUER

CUER would like to thank the Royal Commonwealth Society for throwing us a welcome party at the Darwin Sailing Club on Thursday 15th October.  A speech will be made by the Hon. British Consul, Jeanette Anictomatis.
CUER have been impressed and delighted by the warmth of welcome they have received from the people in the city of Darwin and wish to thank them for making us feel so at home.

See CUER in Action

Endeavour can be seen prior to the race in action testing on Channel Island Road and Cox Peninsula Road.

You can follow Endeavour’s progress across the Outback on our website at www.cuer.co.uk where we are posting regular updates.  You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cuerendeavour, and on our blog, www.cuer.co.uk/blog.  Don’t forget to check our Facebook page http://tinyurl.com/cuerfacebook.
CUER is funded by corporate sponsors including HP, Virgin Atlantic, Cambridge Precision and Schlumberger.

For more information please contact Lucy Hickmet, CUER Australia PR Manager, +61 415772451, lucy.hickmet@cantab.net

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