“On your sparks, car kit, charge!”

A team working on Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks’ Loch Buidhe substation project is helping Primary 7 pupils at Gledfield and Edderton Primary Schools to take part in a national electric car building competition.

The IET Formula Goblin challenge aims to inspire children between the ages of nine and eleven to take an interest in engineering. It gives them the opportunity to build their own functioning and drivable electric car which will then be put through its paces against other schools at events held all over the country.

After helping the local schools to obtain the car kit, SSEN Project Manager Russell Stewart and Site Manager Barry Mackenzie recently visited to help the enthusiastic young engineers make a start.

Commenting Russell said:

“We were approached by the school to see if we could support them in taking part in this challenge, which offers children the chance to gain hands-on experience of engineering while working together as a team.

“The development of electric vehicles is one of the most exciting areas of our industry, so it seemed a great opportunity to help bring that to life. The skills the challenge supports are exactly what our business looks for, so we will be looking out for the engineers of the future.

“Barry and I very much enjoyed working with the children to unpack the kit and set up a safe working area. We plan to return in the coming months to see how they are getting on, talk about what they are learning and eventually to see their finished car in action.”

Headteacher Kirsten MacNeil added:

“Taking part in the challenge gives us an amazing opportunity to cover topics from friction and electricity; to maths, literacy and design technology. It’s a great way for our Primary 7s to gain confidence in working together as a team while also having some fun. We are delighted that SSEN is able to sponsor the project and also to get involved so that the children can gain even more from the experience.”