We sat down with Molly Hennessy, a mechanical engineering student at the University of Galway, driver for the Galway Energy-Efficient Car (Geec) team and an engineer here at Celtic Dynamics. Molly recently returned from the Shell Eco-Marathon 2025 in Poland, where she helped steer the team, literally and figuratively, towards new milestones in sustainable mobility.
Sure! I’m from Kilmaley, County Clare, and this summer I’m working as an energy engineer with Celtic Dynamics. In September, I’ll return to my mechanical engineering studies at the University of Galway and continue working with the Geec team alongside that. I’ve been involved for the last two years, mostly as a driver, but also recently as the maintenance team lead.
I first heard about Geec at an open day while I was still in secondary school. A student involved in the project spoke to me about it, she later became team lead and I ended up working with her the following year! She really sold both the project and the university to me. It helped make the idea of college feel more real and achievable.
I originally didn’t apply to be a driver, I thought I was too tall! But a few months in, they hadn’t found someone, and managed to “squeeze me in,” so to speak.
Growing up, I spent a lot of time doing projects with my dad. I probably wasn’t much help at the time, but I think I’ve improved! I’ve always enjoyed solving problems and being hands-on. Engineering gives you the chance to design, think creatively and work on real-world challenges.
As a driver, I focused a lot on track testing, giving feedback on car handling and performance, and helping interpret data to shape race strategy. I also took on a new role this year as maintenance lead, which meant working in the lab weekly to install upgrades, troubleshoot systems and ensure reliability.
A big focus for me this year was optimising the bearings and steering alignment, anything we could do to reduce mechanical losses and increase coasting time on the track.
Honestly, getting the car to Poland was the biggest challenge! In past years, we went to places like France and the Netherlands by ferry, but air travel adds complications, especially with the battery, which can’t just go on a plane. But we made it work in the end.
Definitely. A lot of the major developments come from our Master’s students, who base their thesis work on the Geec. This year, we had projects focused on drivetrain, power electronics, simulation work and a dynamometer. I helped provide driver feedback when needed for some of these projects, but most of my work was related to the bearings, learning how they’re supposed to work versus how they actually behave and trying to bridge that gap.
It was… intense! The inside of the car gets incredibly hot, up to 45°C, even if it’s only 27°C outside. I think I lost about 4 kilos during the week, despite having two dinners a night! The visibility is also quite limited because you’re lying so flat, so situational awareness is tough.
But despite that, it’s such a unique and amazing experience. I know a lot of the team would love a chance to drive.
Technically, it was about setting up communication, having teammates stationed at various track points to radio in and warn me about other cars, since visibility is poor in some sections. I also had to monitor the display and give feedback in real-time, like current draw for the team to process and adjust our strategy.
Mentally, I felt much more relaxed this year. Being involved in the strategy and build gave me more confidence and a deeper understanding of how everything worked.
Yes, the heat affected everything. Some teams had serious mechanical issues, like brakes expanding mid-race and damaging their drivetrains. We didn’t suffer anything major, but in one race, I lost both the display and communications, so I had to complete the run without knowing my energy usage, timing, or if there was a car in front of me. I just had to go for it and hope for the best!
This kind of work really suits me because I learn best by doing. The Geec gives you so much room to take initiative, you can jump into whatever part of the car interests you. Before joining, I wasn’t even that into cars, which is funny for a mechanical engineer to say! But this opened up a whole new world.
It also gave me more exposure to energy systems and electronics, which helped lead me into my current energy engineering role.
It really solidified my interest in energy engineering. I love seeing a project progress from start to finish. And I’d definitely like to keep travelling with my work, this project brought me to France last year, Poland this year, and hopefully Poland again next year. The opportunities are amazing.
They give students, especially younger years, a chance to get real, hands-on experience early in their degree. In big classes, it’s easy to feel lost, but a project like this helps you find your community, learn directly from older students, and build something together. I was the youngest on the team last year, and having that network helped me settle in and stay motivated.
The team was great fun. We had only three returning members from last year, so most of the group had never been to a competition before—but we clicked right away. The campsite was a blast, teams from all over Europe, DJs, late-night chats. The atmosphere definitely helped us perform well, too.
Murphy’s Law: if it can go wrong, it probably will. But I’ve learned that it’s all about how quickly you adapt and respond. That mindset really matters in engineering.
Just go for it. Whether it’s the travel, the hands-on experience, or the people you meet, it’s worth it. Especially in first year, it gave me a smaller, more
connected group to work with, which made the transition from school to college so much easier.
We’re already planning ahead, meeting with lecturers, reviewing this year’s performance, and figuring out how we can improve. We’ve got ideas around new tires, reducing mechanical losses, and hopefully beating our 354km/kWh score from this year. It’s all in motion.
Check out our website at www.thegeec.ie, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, those are the most active. If anyone’s interested in sponsoring the team, they can reach out to our sponsorship manager, Joseph Martin, at j.martin28@universityofgalway.ie.
