Young engineers of the future

TTPi helps youngsters to design, build and race own electric cars

University of Nottingham PEMC group and its spinout TTPi have supported brilliant youngsters from three Nottingham primary schools to design, build and race their own electric racing cars.

The pupils from Old Basford Primary, Southwark Primary and Our Lady of Perpetual Succour took their electric vehicles onto the track for two days of racing against 30 schools from across the Midlands at the Curborough Sprint Track in Lichfield on June 5 and 6, 2025, in an event co-sponsored by TTPi.

23 students from the three city schools took part in the project, which is organised annually by the Greenpower Education Trust, a charity that aims to excite young people about science and engineering.

TTPi cofounders and leading power electronics engineers, Dr Liliana de Lillo and Professor Lee Empringham, as well as at the University of Nottingham researchers have guided the Nottingham pupils through the development of their cars since the turn of the year.

As well as being hands-on in school working alongside the students, the pair were also in the pits on Race Day, helping the teams to hone the performance of the Goblin-class cars as they took on their youthful rivals.

TTPi, a pioneering power electronics company, which develops cutting-edge technology for use in electric vehicles, was proud to be a co-sponsor of the Staffordshire Greenpower Goblins event at Curborough, alongside the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Spacesuit.

“These children are amazing and bright, and they have done a brilliant job developing these cars,” said Dr de Lillo, who is a longtime supporter of the Greenpower Education Trust and a Senior Research Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

“Race Day is so exciting for them and us! It is the culmination of hours and hours of commitment and hard work.

“We hope that for some of these girls and boys, the project will show them how exciting science and engineering can be and encourage them to pursue a career in this field.

“But whatever they decide to do in the future, we hope this experience will ignite their imagination, boost their confidence and show them they can pursue their interests and realise their dreams.”

The project has certainly had a big impact on the youngsters who took part.

One pupil from Old Basford Primary said: “It makes me feel really proud because it’s the first time Old Basford School has been in the kit car event.”

Another young female mechanic added: “I have learned how to assemble the frame, and see how the buttons and wiring work.”

“It was fun, the experience of being a mechanic it is not really in the curriculum,” said another young engineer from Southwark Primary. “I enjoyed the races, especially in and out of the cones. It was a new experience.”

The three teams included lots of girls, as well as boys. One young female engineer from Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Primary said: “It was actually really good. We got to do all this designing, working on all the electric stuff and riding in the car.”

One of the star drivers was also a girl. She said: “It was fun because we got to build it ourselves and it took courage to do the races. I was in the finals. I did not win, but I have had a go and I have tried.”

The Greenpower Education Trust is staging 23 schools’ race meetings throughout England and Scotland this summer. Last year, more than 600 teams took part.

Research by the Trust shows that participating in the project dramatically increases pupils’ interest in science, technology, engineering and maths, and improves their attitude to learning. In addition, the project has a positive impact on the youngsters’ social and emotional skills and boosts their abilities in critical thinking and project solving.