Asian youth fueling the future

MANILA, Philippines – Indonesia and Thailand dominated awards for the Shell Eco-marathon global mileage challenge. 

The Shell Eco-marathon global mileage challenge is an annual event that calls for innovative ideas in the fields of vehicular engineering. It upholds sustainable environmental practices by challenging youth teams to attain the highest mileage on a litter of fuel.  

This year, a new record for the highest mileage has been set by the winning teams of the Shell Eco-marathon global mileage challenge: 2730 km on a litre of ethanol. (The distance is equivalent to a trip from Manila, Philippines to Jakarta, Indonesia) 

This record was set by Panjavidhya Technological College, Thailand – one of the many teams that allowed Thailand to sweep three championship titles in the competition. This victory in the competition is shared with Indonesia, who also dominated four categories. 

The steet circuit of Luneta Park was filled with futuristic cars – a venue chosen by Shell to stimulate public roads with tight corners and changing road surfaces. Innovative vehicle entries were fueled by a wide scope of energy sources. From hydrogen (fuel cell) to Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME)

A total of 105 student teams from 15 countries across Asia and the Middle East were part on the competition. 

Filipino Pride

The Philippines was able to win 2nd place in the Urban Concept category with De La Salle University’s entry: A Battery Electric powered vehicle with a consumption rating of 66.38 km/kWH.

“Shell Eco-marathon Asia presents a great opportunity to build our engineering skills and to represent our school. It is especially significant because we are competing in our home country this year,” said Melchor Aguirre, a student team representative from DLSU Philippines. 

DLSU also won the “Perseverance and Spirit of the Event” award. It shared the recognition with Team MIT Eco-Warriors of the Madras Institute of Technology India. 

Team MIT Eco-Warriors, in a last minute attempt,  was able to join the competiton within two days after they discovered that their vehicle would not arrive in Manila on time for the competition. DLSU Eco Car Team- Electric lent their 2011 vehicle entry and assisted Team MIT Eco-Warriors in securing vehicle parts in Manila. 

“We are so grateful for all the support from Shell, De La Salle University and all the other teams from other countries who have rallied to help us. When we cleared technical inspection, we felt so relieved and on top of the world achieving something which seemed almost impossible a few days ago. We are honoured to be presented this off-track award,” said Subramanian Senthil Kumar, a student representative of Madras Institute of Technology to Shell. 

View the official results here. – Rappler.com