The 2021 Global Automotive Color of the Year – ElectroLight – from Axalta, a leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings, has been chosen by the Wolfast Uniovi team from the University of Oviedo, Spain, to coat its pioneering prototype electric motorbike entry to the VI MotoStudent International Competition. This is the first time the Wolfast Uniovi team has entered the MotoStudent Electric category, in which students design, develop and manufacture motorbikes with a 100% electric propulsion system.
Elke Dirks, Axalta OEM Colour Designer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, says: "It is extremely fitting that this highly talented group of engineering students chose ElectroLight for its very first electric motorbike. ElectroLight was developed to anticipate emerging technology advances in the quest for fully autonomous vehicles. It is a stand-out colour option in both trend and technology, and we’re delighted to provide the students with our latest waterborne refinish paint in our 2021 Global Automotive Color of the Year for this innovative e-bike.”
For the past six years, Axalta has supplied paint and provided technical expertise and guidance to the University of Oviedo’s engineering teams. This year, the e-bike is coated in Axalta’s premium global refinish brand, Standox, supporting the students as they take part in the MotoStudent International Competition. MotoStudent challenges university students around the world to design and to manufacture motorbike prototypes in one of two categories – MotoStudent Petrol and MotoStudent Electric.
Support for student racing programmes is just one of the many ways Axalta helps students globally to innovate and to apply their skills in developing new technical, scientific and engineering solutions that they can use in their careers. As part of the Axalta Bright Futures programme, the company forms long-standing relationships with students to encourage and to nurture active participation in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects.
Álvaro Noriega González, Professor at the University of Oviedo and Team Principal, says:"We deeply appreciate the collaboration with Axalta. It is essential for students to have access to the innovation, knowledge and expertise Axalta offers to be able to develop a project of this magnitude. ElectroLight was an easy choice for us! Not only is the colour outstanding and unique – an important consideration for us – but the fact it has been developed with mobility-sensing technology in mind is very much aligned with our goals to assess new solutions for improving motorbike safety.”
The final MotoStudent International Competition event is scheduled for July 15-18, 2021 at the MotorLand Aragón Circuit in Spain.
For more information on Axalta and its 2021 Global Automotive Color of the Year, please visit www.axalta.co.uk/color.
