EGS Project

Imagine the fuel saving potential by "simply" thinking when driving!

Styrian (AT) schools of agriculture and forestry piloted an approach to raise awareness about clever driving. The Styrian clever driving competition was developed within the Intelligent Energy Europe Project EGS, which intends to raise awareness about energy efficiency and saving in European schools and use schools unique position to act as multipliers in energy saving and intelligent use of energy.

After month of preparation starting with teachers instructions, lectures and lessons as well as a lot of practice and pre-competitions with students in schools, the first clever driving competition in the Austrian province Styria took place at March 25th 2010 in the EGS partner school LFS Grottenhof-Hardt.

Eight schools of agriculture and forestry (7 from Syria, 1 from Burgenland) were represented by their teams (four students each) to award the Styrian champions who will participate in the first Austrian clever driving competition in autumn 2010.

The competitors had to finalise two tracks: A slalom track with loading and unloading the front shovel of the tractor and a round track with several movements of the tractor with trailer. But to win not only best-time counted: The main influence on the ranking was given by low fuel consumption when mastering the tracks, and also the results of a theoretical part were considered. The one day competition was supported by: "Landtechnik Zentrum"/John Deere Tractors and the media partner "Der fortschrittliche Landwirt".

The "laudatio" to winners and price ceremony was hold by Mr. Johann Seitinger, provincial governer for agriculture and forestry in Styria. The winning team from LFS Hatzendorf and the inividual winners Gerhard Pongratz (LFS Hatzendorf) and Helmut Seper (LFS Güssing) as well as those on 2nd and 3rd places received prices like safety equipment, machine rents etc.; the winning team was invited to visit a John Deere Tractor plant in Germany.