Green Team Twente is a local student team dedicated to making a highly efficient hydrogen car. We have met up with three of the newest members: Mariska Bos on behalf of mechanical engineering, Bram ter Huurne responsible for external affairs, and Regina Chang, PR representative of the Green Team and its first ever international member.
Improving and perfecting the existing car
This year’s Green Team has only just begun working together, but they are already sure of a few plans. ‘We are going to use the body of the previous hydrogen car,’ says Bram ter Huurne. ‘Making the body is very time-consuming and costly. We can use the time to make a lot of improvements instead. Because we are competing in the Urban Concept category, we are also thinking about incorporating a unique interior feature such as a cool display, which could increase the appeal of the car and our chances of winning the race.’
‘We still have to properly evaluate the current car to see what exactly we need to work on, but we believe we would like to make many internal design changes, such as improving the suspension, the steering wheel, breaks or electronics,’ continues Mariska Bos. ‘Previous teams have paid a lot of attention to big innovations. We still want to do that, but we also want to take the time to perfect the vehicle. Our main goal is to have a reliable car that always drives.’
The first international student on board
‘Yes, the car should be like a reliable husband,’ laughs Regina Chang, a Korean-Australian student of International Business Administration and the very first non-Dutch member of the Green Team Twente. ‘I wanted to do something besides my studies, I was interested in PR and I love cars, so this was a great opportunity for me – like a ‘buy one, get one free’ deal,’ smiles Chang. ‘There is sometimes an issue with the language barrier, but I just have to remind the others to speak English. By joining, I wanted to become a mediator, to show other internationals that it is okay to join Dutch groups, because many foreign students are scared to do that.’
‘I study Mechanical Engineering, so I like to build stuff, but my studies are mainly theoretical. Working here, you get to see how your design works in practice,’ Mariska Bos explains why she decided to apply for the Green Team. ‘I was also able to do this as a minor, which means being a member of the Green Team is a part of my study and won’t cause any delay for me, even though working here takes a lot of time.’
‘Yes, it is quite time-consuming, but totally worth it,’ agrees Bram ter Huurne. ‘I joined the team because I was very intrigued by the idea of a student race and building an entire car. I study Applied Physics and I love my studies, but I sometimes miss the social aspect of it. Here I get to manage a team, so I’m combining the best of both worlds.’
