In January, you hoped to have the car finished in March. That didn't quite work out?
'We did indeed have some delays, although this was outside of our own power. Our hydrogen fuel cell, which had to come from the United States, was delivered later because of the snowstorms and long power cuts in Texas. Another mechanical component was delayed because of a corona outbreak within the company. This is why the deadline from March was missed, but in the meantime, we did finish the rest of the car.'
Did you consider postponing the presentation?
'No, we didn't. The car is almost completely finished and also all new components are working nicely. Within the hydrogen propulsion system we are looking to the possibilities to make the car even more efficient, however this system already works nicely. We thought this would be a good moment to show the car to our partners, friends and fans.'
The Shell Eco Marathon is cancelled due to the crisis. How big is this blow?
'We had already taken that into account. It doesn't mean we developed the car for nothing. The organisation handed out awards despite the cancellation. We still won three off-track awards in that race - a first for us. We also hope to be able to race the car on a number of circuits this year, as we are extremely satisfied with the Aurora X. It is then nice to be able to prove this physically, preferably against our Dutch competitors. No, we are certainly not sitting still.'
Where is your satisfaction in that?
'We have actually made great strides in all areas. Above all, the car is much lighter - and therefore more efficient - than its predecessor. The fact that we made all this progress under such exceptional circumstances makes us especially proud. It was not easy to work on the car as a team, so we can certainly be satisfied.'
