Budiey
Students from all across Asia and the Middle East arrived in Manila today to tackle a street circuit in the heart of Manila, Philippines, with the fuel efficient vehicles they designed and built. The over 100 student teams are here to compete in the fifth edition of Shell’s annual Shell Eco-marathon Asia.
This will be the first year Shell Eco-marathon Asia takes place in Manila, having previously been held at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The new urban setting is designed to test the boundaries of fuel efficiency in a real world environment. Success is not measured by speed but by who can drive farthest on a litre of fuel.
Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2014 Welcomes Over 100 Student Teams To Manila
[pullquote]Competing on home soil are about 15 teams from the Philippines’ top engineering schools. They will be racing alongside students from universities, colleges and technical institutes across 15 countries; including Egypt – who are fielding three teams to compete for the first time.[/pullquote]
Student teams may participate in the Prototype or UrbanConcept vehicle categories of the competition. The Prototype category will see student teams entering cars of the future – streamlined vehicles focused on maximising fuel-efficiency through innovative design elements, such as drag reduction. The UrbanConcept category will focus on more “roadworthy” fuel-efficient vehicles. Aimed at meeting the real-life needs of drivers – these vehicles are closer in appearance to the higher-mileage cars seen on the roads today. A total of more than 100 vehicles – composed of Prototype and UrbanConcept models – have been entered for this year’s competition.
For both Prototype and UrbanConcept categories, teams may enter vehicles using any of the following energy types: gasoline, diesel, alternative gasoline (ethanol 100), alternative diesel
(Shell Gas-to-Liquid or fatty acid methyl ester), battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell. Results for the electrically powered vehicles are expressed in km per kilowatt hour (km/kWh) and in km per litre (km/l) for the other energy types. Students will have the freedom to exercise their creativity in technical and design aspects, with the condition that all vehicles entered meet specific safety rules.
Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2014 will see 24 On-Track awards with prize money of $2,000 and $1,000 for Winners and Runners up in both Prototype and UrbanConcept categories. In addition, teams will also be vying for six Off-Track awards: Communications, Vehicle Design, Technical Innovation, Safety, Perseverance and Spirit of the Event and Shell Helix Tribology Award. The Shell Helix Tribology Award is an off-track award that recognises student teams that demonstrate the use of lubrication engineering principles to improve the fuel efficiency result of their vehicles.
The Shell Eco-marathon Asia flag-off ceremony will be held on February 7 at the Luneta Park, while the closing ceremony and awards presentation will be held on February 9 at the Fiesta Pavilion of Manila Hotel.
In addition to the on-track action, members of the public will also have the chance to experience the Shell Energy Lab, a captivating and educational adventure that explores the future of energy, technology and mobility. Interactive displays and activities will challenge visitors to think differently about the future of energy and the growing demands placed on the worlds resources.
Shell Eco-marathon has four Global Partners:
HP: Official Global Information Technology (IT) Partner Michelin: Official Global Paddock Partner and Tyre Supplier The Linde Group: Official Global Paddock Partner
Southwest Research Institute: Official Global Paddock Partner
Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2014 is held in partnership with the Philippine Government: Department of Tourism and the City of Manila. Private sector partners are Unilever Philippines, Solane, Coca-Cola, Globe, Lego and Hyundai.
For more information on all Shell Eco-marathon events across the globe, including official rules, instructions for registration and details on prizes, please visit the Shell Eco-marathon website at www.shell.com/ecomarathon.
About Shell Eco-marathon
Shell Eco-marathon began in 1939 at a Shell research laboratory in the United States as a friendly wager between scientists to see who could get the most miles per gallon from their vehicle. The winner of that contest barely achieved 50 mpg (21 km/l), and from these humble origins, a more organized competition evolved. In 1985 in France, Shell Eco-marathon as we know it today was born. In April 2007, Shell Eco-marathon Americas event was launched in the United States, and in 2010, the inaugural Shell Eco-marathon Asia was held in Malaysia. Malaysia hosted Shell Eco-Marathon Asia until 2013. In 2014, the event is being held in Manila, Philippines, which will continue to host the event until 2016.
