The first edition of the National Young Mechanic’s Championships “iElektromobilni” was attended by 18 two-person student teams.
This year, the Championships were held for the second time. High school students attending to mechanical schools had the opportunity to test their knowledge of modern technologies by solving theoretical tests, but also participate in practical competitions prepared in cooperation with partners of the event.
This initiative is a response to challenges posed by the development of electromobility and the need to educate young people in this area. Theoretical test questions had been prepared by the Practical Skills Academy.
National Young Mechanics’ Championships “iElektromobilni” for the second time in Poznań
During the Poznań Motor Show 2019, the second edition of National Young Mechanic’s Championships “iElektromobilnie” took place.
Railway Communications Works prepared competitions for young and professional mechanics, as well as the participants of the II National Young Mechanics’ Championship “iElektromobilni”. “The test was to connect an electric car to an alternating current charging station. Participants had access to an ecoMOTO station that we manufacture and that is already available on the market. It can be used at selected railway stations, so there is a good chance that the knowledge gained in the championships will be used in practice” – explained Krzysztof Wysocki, Marketing Manager, KZŁ Bydgoszcz.
At the ZF Aftermarket station, young electromobility mechanics had to deal with an 8-speed transmission for a hybrid car. “We prepared three questions about this transmission, such as how a repair show should approach such products, what elements are included in the transmission, but it was also necessary to name hybrid components and their functions.”, explained Bartosz Rychlik, ZF Aftermarket.
At the station febi bilstein, the participants had an opportunity to work with a vehicle specially adapted for diagnostics. “We studied can high and can low signals with an oscilloscope, and the participants were asked about the construction and failures of an alternator for heavy vehicles.”, said Robert Mrozek, febi bilstein.
What about the competition prepared by Topex Group? “We prepared a task that involved asking some basic questions about lithium-ion batteries. Some questions concerned the technology itself, but we also examined practical skills related to electric cells. We prepared cell packages connected in parallel and in series. Inside them, some cells were intentionally damaged. The participants’ task was to measure and determine which cells were damaged.”, said Karol Bieńczyk, Technical and commercial advisor, Topex Group.
The company’s offer is ready for the upcoming electromobility era. “Our solutions include both hand tools and power tools. Our proposal is the Energy+ system by Graphite. This is a system of many power tools that can be powered by the same battery. At any time, you can be other tools that can be powered by the same battery.”, added Karol Bieńczyk.
Competitions in the “Duda Garage” were prepared by the University of Technology and Life Sciences in Bydgoszcz. The first involved matching photos to the names of electrical car plugs and determining whether the plug uses alternating or constant current. The second task was more analytical – it involved calculating energy density and energy stored in the battery.
The winners of the II National Young Mechanics’ Championships “iElektromobilni” were Sebastian Guz and Marek Chudek from John Paul II Secondary School in Radzyń Podlaski.
“Great emotion, great satisfaction, new knowledge, and information. We are grateful to all the organizers and sponsors. It was great. The competitions were difficult. You need to look for information at online forums, read a lot. I wasn’t easy, but I made it.”, said Marek Chudek, a student of John Paul II Secondary School in Radzyń Podlaski.
The main prize for the participants of the II National Young Mechanics’ Championships ‘iElektromobilni” was funded by the Railway Communications Works. The winning school received an ecoMOTOhome charging station.
The ecoMOTOhome TPE2B station is mounted on the wall, for example in a garage. It is equipped with one “type 2” socket and powered by 22 kW AC. It has a touch screen and a proximity card reader, making it easy for everyday use. The device can also be connected to the network via LAN and OCCP protocol. The station is designed for use in consumer premises, such as parking lots located in buildings or in private houses. By default, the station is designed for wall mounting. It can also be mounted individually or with other stations on a special post. The ecoMOTOhome charging station meets the requirements of the Act on electromobility and is equipped with an individual MD class energy meter.
“The Railway Communications Works, in response to the growing importance of the electromobility market, has designed and built fully network-managed charging stations for electric vehicles corresponding to the current trends in electrics distribution policies. KZŁ charging stations are made in such a way to, through continuous data exchange with network managing entities, react in real time to the need of connecting or unplugging the receiver to or from the mains.”, said Krzysztof Wysocki, Marketing Manager, Railway Communication Works.
The organizers of the National Young Mechanics’ Championships are the International Fair in Poznań and Cooperation Foundation, bringing together experts, representatives of businesses and companies cooperating for the benefit of road safety and promotion the development of technical education, as well as V8 Team. The Partners include manufacturer of motor oils Mobil – the initiator of the Young Mechanic competition, ZF, Afermarket, Practical Skills Academy, polish Chamber of Automotive Industry, UTP Akademia Kierowcy, Odeka, febi, FILTRON, Railway Communications Works, Uni-Trol, Topex Group, Best-Pol, and Yanosik. The Young Mechanic of Agriculture Machinery competition is patronised by Kramp, as well as John Deere – manufacturer of tractors and agricultural machinery. Media patrons include the largest agriculture monthly TOP AGRAR and the new agricultural magazine Profi.
The ambassador of the competition is Grzegorz Duda – multiple rally champion and the host of TV shows “Garaż Dudy” and “101 Napraw” in TVN Turbo.
