Ten teams from the country’s top engineering schools rev up their engines in preparation for the upcoming Asian leg of the 2013 Shell Eco-Marathon (SEM), which will take place on July 4-7, 2013 at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Shell Eco-Marathon is a global initiative that gives student engineers the opportunity to design, build and test energy-efficient cars. Its goal is to showcase young talent and creativity in developing vehicles that efficiently make use of gasoline, diesel, bio-fuel, and other energy sources. Vehicles are classified into two categories: urban concept cars (those that mimic the design of everyday cars) and prototype (the “anything goes” category). The Philippines is one of the 18 participating countries in this year’s Asian leg, where a total of 1,500 student engineers are expected to showcase their innovations.
Schools that were part of the pioneering Philippine delegacy in the Shell Eco-Marathon, namely, Mapua Institute of Technology, University of Santo Tomas, and Don Bosco Technical College, remain in full force this year. Joining them are the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Manila, De La Salle University (DLSU) Manila, the University of San Carlos in Cebu, and the Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) Manila and Quezon City.
Mapua, one of the first Philippine schools to join the Shell Eco-Marathon, sends off two teams this year—one for each of the two vehicle categories. DLSU, whose 2012 entry “Proto” bagged the Technical Innovation Award, also enters both categories.
During their test run at the Clark International Speedway last May 24, we were able to meet the various teams and learn about the technology behind their respective vehicles. Our forthcoming July issue features an exclusive sneak peek at what each team is cooking up for the big day, so don’t forget to watch out for it in the stands.
Additionally, Shell announced that their country chairman, Edgar Chua, recently signed an agreement with Department of Tourism (DoT) Secretary Ramon Jimenez to formalize their agreement to host the Asian leg of the Shell Eco-Marathon from 2014 to 2016 at Rizal Park.