The YTÜ Alternative Energy Systems Club (AESK), one of Yıldız Technical University’s long-standing student clubs, won the championship in both the Original Vehicle and Off-the-Shelf Vehicle categories at the TEKNOFEST Robo-Taxi and Passenger Autonomous Vehicle Competition.

The YTÜ Alternative Energy Systems Club (AESK) secured a double championship by finishing first in both categories of the TEKNOFEST Robotaxi-Passenger Autonomous Vehicle Competition.

YTÜ AESK competed in the Original Vehicle and Off-the-Shelf Vehicle categories at the TEKNOFEST Robotaxi-Passenger Autonomous Vehicle Competition. In the competition, which took place in an urban setting, the vehicles were required to perform tasks such as picking up and dropping off passengers, stopping at crosswalks, avoiding obstacles, passing through tunnels, and parking—all in a fully autonomous manner.

AESK won first place in the Original Vehicle category with its self-developed autonomous electric vehicle named Orion, and in the Ready-Made Vehicle category with the vehicle provided by the organizers. The team also won the Most Innovative Software Award in the Ready-Made Vehicle category.

With this result, YTÜ AESK claimed its sixth championship in the Original Vehicle category and its second in the Off-the-Shelf Vehicle category. The electric Orion can operate continuously for approximately 5–6 hours on a full battery charge and reach a speed of 40 kilometers per hour.

About YTÜ AESK 

Founded in 2004 and restructured in 2011 to expand its activities, the YTÜ Alternative Energy Systems Club (AESK) has been operating on the Yıldız Technical University campus for 21 years. Carrying out its work with the mission of being the university’s “footprint on the tracks and in the skies,” the team combines its academic knowledge with applied projects to conduct research in the fields of alternative energy and autonomous vehicle technologies. Having designed a total of 20 vehicles to date, YTÜ AESK actively represents Yıldız Technical University in national and international competitions with four vehicles.

YTÜ AESK, the champion of the Shell AUC (Autonomous Urban Concept), also achieved a significant success at the Shell Eco-Marathon AUC Europe & Africa 2025 held in Poland. In the event, which featured 130 teams from 27 countries, the team won the championship in the autonomous vehicle category, becoming the first Turkish team to achieve this success in the autonomous city concept at the competition, which has been held for 40 years.

First Place in Two Categories with Nova and Castor YTÜ AESK also competed in two categories at the TÜBİTAK Efficiency Challenge Electric Vehicle Races, held August 24–31, 2025. The team secured first place in both categories with the electric vehicle named Nova and the hydrogen-electric hybrid vehicle named Castor.

Castor, used in the Hydromobil category, features an Energy Management System (EMS) that controls the use of hydrogen and electricity. The system regulates the use of hydrogen and battery-powered electricity according to the vehicle’s needs. While vehicles were required to use between 30% and 70% hydrogen during the race, Castor completed the race using 48.5% hydrogen.

In addition to performance and efficiency, the race also evaluated acceleration, domestic content, and other performance criteria. On the 6.6-kilometer course, the Nova consumed 78 kilowatts of energy, while Castor consumed 84 kilowatts. In the acceleration category, when both vehicles took to the track simultaneously, the Nova reached a speed of 69 kilometers per hour, while Castor reached 63 kilometers per hour. The Nova took first place in this category.