Steinbuch, professor of Automotive Systems at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and closely involved with TU/e’s soccer robots, committed himself to being an ambassador for 80DR  last week.

80DR is a race around the world that’s open to any vessel or vehicle, but the use of combustion engines and fossil fuels is prohibited. The race will start somewhere in Europe in the spring of 2015. Competitors are expected to travel via the Middle East to India, China, the United States, Mexico, and Brazil and back to the finish in Europe.

Steinbuch says he’s become an ambassador for the event because he adheres to the idea that sustainability can be fun. “And racing without fuel and combustion engine proves my point”, says the professor. “80DR is a wonderful showcase for the car industry of the future. It’s a chance for them to show the public all the things they can do nowadays. Being an ambassador, it’s my job to spread the message.”

Steinbuch intends to participate in the race himself as well. “I want to recruit at least one, possible even more Dutch teams. Ideally, teams should consist of students and people from the automotive industry. I’d prefer a heterogeneous group of students from university, university of applied sciences and vocational schools (MBO). In my experience, there’s so much energy and drive that it shouldn’t be a problem to have a competitive team ready for the start in spring 2015.”