Thailand has emerged major victors at Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) Asia 2014 with three champion titles. Team How Much Ethanol from Panjavidhya Technological CollegeThailand drove 2,730km on a litre of ethanol – the highest mileage recorded at this year’s competition and the equivalent distance from Manila to Jakarta. The team is joined by fellow Thai winners SakonNakhonTechnicalCollege in the Prototype Gasoline category and RattanakosinTechnologicalCollege in the Prototype Battery Electric category. Since Shell Eco-marathon Asia started in 2010, Thai teams have been dominating the leader-boards with their winning ultra-efficient vehicles.

“Our winning formula was to focus 97% of our efforts on designing the car and 3% on the engine. Our car was custom-designed around our designated driver for optimal performance and we built the engine to maximise the capacity of our car,” said ChumpholSitthios, team manager for PanjavidhyaTechnologicalCollege. “We also practiced on a Thailand circuit which has a similar layout to LunetaPark.”

Mr. Asada Harinsuit, Country Chairman, The Shell Company of Thailand Limited, added: “We are really very happy and proud that once again a Thai team has won here at the Shell Eco-marathon Asia. Their innovations and skills have made them #1 for the fourth year in a row, and their extraordinary abilities will certainly continue to inspire the next generation of engineers to meet our future energy needs”.

Improved Mileage Performance in Five Categories

Student participants of the Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2014 overcame the challenges of a new urban circuit to clock improved mileage results in five out of 12 categories, compared to the previous edition. New best scores were recorded for Prototype Diesel by China’s Tongji University at 616.2km/l, Prototype Gasoline by SakonNakhon Technical College at 1,796.0km/l, Urban Concept Gasoline by Universitas Indonesia at 301.7km/l, Urban Concept Battery Electric by Institute of Technical Education Singapore at 126.3km/l and Urban Concept Diesel by Indonesia’s PoliteknikNegeri Pontianak at 70.3km/l.

This is the first year Shell Eco-marathon Asia takes place on the streets of LunetaPark in Manila, having previously been held at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur. The new urban setting is designed to test the boundaries of fuel efficiency in a real world environment.

“A street circuit certainly presents more difficulty as vehicles tend to consume more energy while navigating urban roads. The fact that teams are still making marked improvements on their scores and clocking new personal bests is extremely impressive,” said Norman Koch, Shell Eco-marathon Technical Director. This year’s winners bested 105 student teams from 15 countries across Asia and the Middle East. Teams submitted vehicle entries in either the Urban Concept or Prototype category in any of the seven different energy types. Results are measured on who can drive the furthest on the equivalent of 1 kWh or 1 litre of fuel.

Closing the event, Edgar Chua, Shell companies in the Philippines Country Chairman said: “In the Philippines we have a saying ‘the youth are our hope for the future.’ When I look at all the young, budding students and what they have achieved at Shell Eco-marathon Asia, I too am inspired myself. I hope they have had a great experience – in learning new skills, absorbing new cultures and making new friends.”

Six Off-Track Awards Presented to Outstanding Student Teams

In addition to the 12 On-Track awards, teams also competed for six Off-Track Awards that tested the team’s various technical and creative skills, as well as their approach to safety and sustainability. A panel of experts from various fields judged the students on a variety of categories that covered Safety, Communications, Technical Innovation, Vehicle Design, Perseverance and Spirit of the Event and the 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.

Shell Eco-marathon Asia also welcomed thousands of visitors to Asia’s first ever Shell Energy Lab – a spectacular experience for people of all ages showcasing the future of energy, technology and mobility.

Overview of Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2014 winners.

Off-Track Awards Winners:

Communications

PNEC NUST-PROTOTYPE

National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Karachi

Pakistan

PNEC NUST-PROTOTYPE was selected because of their innovative approach to creating awareness and support for their team for Shell Eco-marathon Asia. Besides important traditional media partnerships, they went to various public forums targeting college and school students, families and the community at large. They secured interest from local celebrities who helped attract a much wider audience through their own social media presence. Their communications mix and use of multiple channels and platforms were both effective and innovative in meeting their objectives.

Vehicle Design

NTU DIESEL CAR RACING TEAM

Nanyang Technological University

Singapore

The team’s technical paper presented a complete and comprehensible account of their different research undertakings which should be the mark of a true engineering researcher. During their interviews with the jury, they readily answered all queries and even provided updates on their progress. Lastly, their actual performance on the track was in sync with their desired design – proving that their design worked.

Technical Innovation

NANYANG E DRIVE

Nanyang Technological University

Singapore

Nanyang E Drive won this award because of their use and placement of an electromagnetic clutch to eliminate most drive-train losses when coasting, and for incorporating a splitter to separate turbulent and laminar flows to reduce drag. Vehicle Design

Perseverance and Spirit of the Event

MIT ECO-WARRIORS

Madras Institute of Technology

India

DLSU ECO CAR TEAM - ELECTRIC De La Salle University

Philippines

All teams displayed perseverance and spirit of the event in different ways. These teams stood out because of their persistence and generosity while maintaining a positive attitude. From having no car to passing technical inspection and obtaining a valid track run, Team MIT Eco-Warriors is exemplary of perseverance. DLSU Eco Car Team - Electric demonstrated great team spirit as they came forward to help.

Safety

NTU DIESEL CAR RACING TEAM

Nanyang Technological University

Singapore

Safety was effectively employed into the core of their design with impressive risk assessment studies and clever use of materials. Special attention was placed on computer design and laser cut strips of wood that were made to absorb energy in case of impact, yet break up into small parts and not large dangerous shards. It was also noted that the team displayed exceptional safety practices in their garage by maintaining a very orderly work environment free from avoidable hazards.

Shell Helix Tribology

TEAM MONASH 2

Monash University, Malaysia

Malaysia

Team Monash 2 recognised the importance of keeping their vehicle components clean and lubricated. They conducted a simple experiment to arrive at the conclusion. They also demonstrated an understanding of the impact of their fuel of choice, GTL Diesel, on lubrication in the vehicle engine. This team recognised the importance of choosing the right viscosity, minimising friction and maximising fuel economy.

Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2014 is held in partnership with the Philippine Government, especially the Department of Tourism, Department of Energy and the City of Manila. Its global Partners include HP (Official Global Information Technology (IT) Partner), Michelin (Official Global Paddock Partner and Tyre Supplier), The Linde Group (Official Global Paddock Partner) and Southwest Research Institute (Official Global Paddock Partner). Local 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.

For more pictures of the event.

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.

INQUIRIES:

Cindy Lopez

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MichVillar

Shell Spokesperson, Asia-Pacific

+63 9175366424

 

Serene Loo

Shell Spokesperson, Asia-Pacific

+65 9729 7294

 

Mae Maneekulpan

TQPR Thailand

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