BTU’s Lausitz Dynamics team demonstrates energy efficiency at an international competition

The Shell Eco-marathon Poland 2026 will bring together more than 130 student teams from across Europe at the Silesia Ring in Kamień Śląski. The students will compete with their vehicles in various categories. The aim of the competition is to explore climate-neutral mobility and sustainable energy sources. The focus here is not on driving particularly fast, but on driving as energy-efficiently as possible. All teams aim to cover a specified distance not at high speed, but using as little energy as possible.

The BTU team and its vehicle

The BTU student team’s vehicle, the HydroRaycer, uses a fuel cell to generate electrical energy from hydrogen and air. This powers the motor in an environmentally friendly and highly efficient manner. The vehicle is competing in the Prototype Hydrogen Fuel Cell category.

The current 20-strong team, led by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Sylvio Simon, consists in particular of dual-study students in their fourth semester of the Bachelor’s degree programme in Electrical Engineering in Senftenberg. Steven Wenzke and Nick Kucher act as team managers. The two drivers are Lena Berthold, a Bachelor’s student in Materials Chemistry, and Christian Meier, a Master’s student in Electrical Engineering. Technical supervision is provided by BTU staff members Sindy Schmidt and Shadi Sykora.

The past few months have been entirely devoted to the further development of the vehicle. The team has been working intensively on optimising the fuel cell to further increase the efficiency of the propulsion system. In addition, the vehicle’s aerodynamics were improved to reduce air resistance and thus make it even more energy-efficient on the road. The supercapacitors (electrochemical capacitors) were also redesigned and optimised to further improve energy recovery and storage.

With an ambitious goal

Lausitz Dynamics has set its sights on an ambitious goal. Following last year’s outstanding second-place finish, the team aims to prove its mettle once again and defend its success – or even surpass it. With innovative technology, team spirit and a great deal of dedication, the team is looking forward to the upcoming competition with optimism. The coming days will show whether the months of hard work have paid off and whether Lausitz Dynamics will continue to rank among the top teams in the international competition.

Thanks for your fantastic support

Special thanks go to all the supporters who make the project possible through their commitment and backing. On behalf of the team, Lausitz Dynamics would like to thank the town of Senftenberg, DEKRA Lausitzring and REWE Radke. The team would also like to thank the many other sponsors, partners and helpers who are supporting Lausitz Dynamics on its journey to the Shell Eco-marathon.

Further information is available at:

www.b-tu.de/lausitz-dynamics and www.instagram.com/lausitz.dynamics

Follow the results live:
https://results.sem-app.com/app/sem_2026_pl/P/H2

Contact the Lausitz Dynamics student team:

Angelina Franke
angelina.franke(at)b-tu.de