Engineers from the Sigma school, near Clermont-Ferrand, have created a prototype of an electric car. Objective: combine passion for automobiles and sustainable development.
In the parking lot of the Sigma school, near Clermont-Ferrand, a prototype electric vehicle is being driven for the first time. It was designed by young engineers and will participate in a student automobile competition this summer. Two years of work made it possible to create this vehicle, each element of which comes from Puy-de-Dôme. Nathan Roussilhes, first year student at Sigma, explains: “We developed the car to be precise from the front, and to take it on winding courses. It’s a car that corners very well. We feel a lot of sensations. It’s fun to drive”.
For several years, Sigma students have supported engineering projects that are more respectful of the environment, because when it comes to car or motorcycle racing, thermal still remains the norm. “The notion of decarbonization involves electric mobility, says Nicolas Gayton, director of the Sigma school. Showing that we can make beautiful objects from electrical energy is one of the challenges of the school”.
It’s not just the car. There is also the motorcycle which is electric. A unique project of its kind. The goal is to make the Sigma Regen Superbike the first electric motorcycle to participate in the 24 hours of Le Mans by 2028.
Students from the Sigma school alongside the first electric motorcycle to participate in the 24 hours of Le Mans by 2028.
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© Yoann Dorion / FTV
The vehicle will be equipped with an energy regeneration system which will power the battery, thanks to braking. Dorian Mieusset, motorcycle track engineer and former Sigma student, reveals the system of this prototype to us: “You have to succeed in mechanically recovering the energy from the front and rear wheel. How ? We can’t reveal it. This remains confidential. It can only be said that the rear wheel is already connected. The transmission chain is directly connected to the engine. This is one of the solutions for transmitting energy from a wheel to the motor”.
In mid-September, a first version of the motorcycle will be presented during mobility week, while the electric car will make a few laps at Place de Jaude in Clermont-Ferrand, thus exposing the know-how of Sigma students.
Comments collected by Yoann Dorion / France 3 Auvergne.
