Skoda is encouraging its students to develop concepts that explore the limits of imagination and design. That’s how the new Element was born. This time, following the three successful design studies from recent years, the students decided on an electric buggy that bears the name Element. The ‘E’ stands for electricity, ‘ELEMENT’ for the elementary and fundamental drive system of the future: e-mobility.
With great dedication, the students spent approx. 1,500 hours working on the open beach buggy. This demonstrates the young engineers’ enthusiasm. Building their own vehicle is a Vocational School and a good incentive for the country’s best young engineers.
Since October of last year, 22 of the 900 students between the ages of 17 and 18 who are currently attending Skoda’s vocational school have been able to experience what it feels like to be a car designer.
“Electromobility is not just a temporary trend – it is the future. That’s why we have opted to build a car with an electric drive system,” said student Daniel Launa, explaining the choice of the students.
The Element is based on the Citigo. The beach buggy has no roof, no doors and only two seats. It has an electric motor with a power output of 82 PS under its bonnet. Implementing their creative ideas, the students have also completely redesigned the interior.
The 2017 student car project began in autumn 2016 with initial drawings of a model. Since January 2017, the highly motivated young people from various vocational courses have been working on the car not only on paper and at their computers, but more and more also at the work bench, with welding equipment and tin snips. The roof had to be removed, the entire side has been redesigned, the boot was fitted with a lid.
The 17 boys and four girls have invested over 1,500 hours in the project, the development work was part of their formal lessons.
