MANILA: Universiti Teknologi MARA teams won first place for two awards, from two categories, respectively, at the Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2016 held here from Mac 4 to Mac 6.
The UiTM Eco-Sprint team bettered their own winning result last year to champion the Prototype Hydrogen Fuel Cell category, with a record mileage of 476 km/m3 while in the Urban Concept Hydrogen category, UiTM Eco-Planet team won the first place with their best attempt of 91km/m3.
Eco-Voyager from University of Malaya took the second place in the Prototype Hydrogen Fuel Cell category, with a record mileage of 244km/m3 while Monash University’s team Eco-Chaser was ranked number one in the CNG category (95km/l).
Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2016, a unique competition that challenges students to design, build and drive the most energy-efficient car, welcomed hundred student teams from 16 countries across Asia, Middle East and Africa who have conquered the streets around Rizal Park.
At the event, student teams were challenged to stretch the boundaries of fuel efficiency in a real world urban environment, and winners were determined by the mileage achieved on a litre of fuel, rather than speed.
There are two different vehicle categories - Prototype (aimed at building the most aerodynamic and fuel-efficient vehicle possible) and Urban Concept (aimed at building fuel-economy vehicles that resemble more realistic cars).
From vehicle design to financing, student teams managed their projects from start to finish. The winning teams in both the Prototype and Urban Concept categories as well as in each fuel class received a prize of USD$2,000 for their universities.
This year also saw the most significant change to Shell Eco-marathon since the competition began 30 years ago, with the introduction of the Drivers’ World Championship.
Drivers will go head-to-head in a traditional racing car format while maintaining the need to drive efficiently, at the end of which the winning team will earn an invite to spend one week with Scuderia Ferrari at their factory in Italy.
Once in Maranello, they will meet the team and receive personal coaching and advice from the engineers on how they can improve their car for the 2017 Shell Eco-marathon.
Based on this year’s results, four Urban Concept teams have qualified for the Drivers’ World Championship, held at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London later this year.
“The Shell Eco-marathon Drivers’ World Championship Race marks an important step in the evolution of Shell Eco-marathon and the global drive for energy efficiency, challenging the students to push further than they have before.
“I’m extremely excited to see five teams from Shell Eco-marathon Asia clock strong mileage results in order to qualify for the Drivers’ World Championship at Make The Future London, and I look forward to seeing them compete against the best in the world,” said Shell Eco-marathon Global Technical Director Norman Koch.
Close to 30,000 members of the public over a span of four days got up close to the student competition and watched live performances at the Fan Zone.
Visitors were also treated to a captivating and educational adventure into the future of energy, cities and sustainability at the Energy Zone, and enjoyed an outdoor festival where they were able to participate in activities and grab a bite to eat.
The first Shell Eco-Marathon Asia was held in 2010 in Sepang. Since 2014, the event has been held in Manila, Philippines. This year was the last edition Manila hosted the event.