High hopes for Archer and Delta’s last run

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High hopes for Archer and Delta’s last run
Cheer on DLSU and cars from other Philippine schools by watching the Shell Eco-Marathon from March 3 to 6, at the Luneta Park Circuit

 

This is an announcement from the DLSU Eco Car Team

MANILA, Philippines – Lasallian eco cars Archer and Delta take center stage in Best U Launch.

Best U Launch is DLSU ECT’s (Eco Car Team) official event, showcasing their fuel-efficient eco car designs before the Shell Eco-Marathon, and helps raise interest and awareness about fuel-efficiency and alternative energy. 

Archer is fielded in the battery electric urban concept category, and Delta in the gasoline urban concept. Both entries have won several medals throughout their three-year competition stint.   

“Our goal for this event is for Eco Car Team to be more known in the community, and to show to other students that there are ways non-engineering students can also help in the team.” expressed psychology major Florence Culaba, the launch’s project head.

Passion, commitment, teamwork

ECT Alumnus Gian Paul Giron recalled seeing the cars for the first time in his freshman year.

“…[upperclassmen] said join the Eco Car Team. In my High School, we didn’t have any activities like that, so I was really excited.”

It takes at least 9 months to a full year of working round the clock to get the cars done, along with “having to learn a lot of things on our own,” said GR, Archer’s senior electrical manager. He also added that their advisers, “…guides and pushes us to our limits,” fueling their competitive spirit further.

What made him stay was that the team is “…a place for people who want to make something and have it work… makes you collaborate and make something big.”

Mico Flores, junior member for Delta, joined because of his love and curiosity for cars, getting involved “to think of better ways to improve fuel efficiency for the potential of gasoline.”

Challenges and setbacks like deadlines and postponed plans are all worth it as the team’s hard work pays off with every successful test run and improvement, not to mention the exhilaration from winning international competitions such as the Shell Eco-Marathon.

WINNERS. The DLSU Eco Car Team. Image courtesy DLSU Eco Car Team

While most members come from engineering disciplines, DLSU ECT also welcomes non-engineering majors into the fold. Current members are students from programs like psychology and physics, who are a great help to the team.

Efficiency and speed

Unlike most races, Shell Eco-Marathon isn’t all about speed. Competitors must strike a balance between speed and fuel-efficiency.

“You can be so fast to finish the track, but the car may not be as [fuel] efficient… Or consume lesser gas but the speed may not be practical to finish the race,” Giron recounted.

Cars competing in the Shell Eco-Marathon must finish ten laps under 29 minutes.  

He recalled past victories: Delta’s 126 Km./L record snagged first place in 2015’s Shell Eco-Marathon, while Archer’s 62 KwH/Km placed second in 2014. The team’s hard at work to make both cars win in their respective categories this year.    

Future of Eco Cars

With Archer and Delta retiring after a fruitful 3-year run, Jeffrey Dizon, Delta’s team leader, is hopeful for upcoming changes in the team. He is looking forward to joining more categories for the competition, and designing new cars next year.  

Mico Flores wants to see more fuel-efficient vehicles in the future, recognizing that development should move beyond single-seater vehicles. He hopes that in the near future, more people will use eco-friendly cars.    

They urge Filipinos to support not just their entries, but all of the Filipinos from other schools who are competing.

“We hope that Filipinos show support to these schools, these are young engineers, hindi lang DLSU ang nagco-compete (It is not just DLSU that competes),” Culaba stressed.  

Best U Launch was held on February 10, at the Henry Sy, Sr grounds.

Cheer on DLSU and cars from other Philippine schools by watching the Shell Eco-Marathon from March 3 to 6, at the Luneta Park Circuit, Quirino Grandstand, Manila. – Rappler.com  

 

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