The first Virtual Shell Eco-marathon Asia Off-Track Awards has just concluded with student teams from India dominating Shell’s annual collaborative platform for students to get hands-on-experience in achieving ultra-energy-efficiency.
Entries from four Philippine universities made it to the finals in the Vehicle Design category. Team UMindanao Wildcats from the University of the Mindanao came up with a gasoline-powered car in the Prototype category while three Metro Manila universities each submitted entries in the Urban Concept category. DLSU-Eco Car Team-I.C.E. from the De La Salle University and PLM Agsikapin from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila built gasoline-powered cars, while PUP-Hygears from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Manila came up with a battery-powered car.
DLSU-Eco Car Team-I.C.E. during last year’s Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2019 competition 
PUP-Hygears assemble their prototype
The winners are Team Eco Titans from VIT University for the Communications Award; Team Pravega from the Government Engineering College, Barton Hill University for the Circular Economy Award; Team DTU E-Supermileage from the Delhi Technical University for the Vehicle Design Award, Prototype category and Team Inferno from the Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology University for the Safety Award.
“Team Inferno is extremely happy to register the team’s first Off-Track award win at Shell Eco- Marathon Asia and would like to take this as motivation to strive harder for future wins at Shell Eco-marathon competitions,” said Team Manager Sree Tejas S. Their entry won the Safety Award for promoting a daily commitment to safety as a culture and not just as a set of rules to follow. “We are happy to be a part of this historical event of Shell Eco-marathon and immensely proud to represent and win an award for India at a prestigious international competition.”
Student teams from Singapore won in the other two categories: Team TP Eco Flash from the Temasek Polytechnic received the Technical Innovation Award, while Team NV11 Nanyang Autonomous Venture from Nanyang Technological University received the Vehicle Design Award for the Urban Concept category.
Impressing judges with the technical inventiveness of their vehicle design that converts hydrogen waste into clean energy, the mixed-discipline team from Temasek Polytechnic demonstrated how their different backgrounds in clean energy, electronics and mechatronics came together to spark innovative solutions.
“Taking part in the Shell Eco-marathon has been a very fulfilling journey for our team and our advisors, and we are glad that we were able to see our hydrogen-powered vehicle in action before the Circuit Breaker in Singapore happened. Being able to be part of this year’s regional competition allowed us to test our ideas and come up with real-world solutions using clean energy,” said Chng Tze Chen, student manager of Team TP Eco Flash.
The winners were announced in a virtual ceremony live on Shell Eco-marathon’s Instagram and Twitter on June 3, 2020, led by Shell Eco-marathon global general manager Norman Koch. Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc joined the ceremony as a special guest.
“We understand how the students were looking forward to compete at Shell Eco-marathon Asia this year. While we were not able to hold a physical event due to Covid-19, having the virtual Off-Track Awards this year allowed us to honor the work the students have done and provide a continued opportunity to compete,” said Norman Koch, global general manager for Shell Eco-marathon.
A member of PLM Agsikapin designing their car 
UMindanao Wildcats assemble their prototype
50 teams from 16 different countries participated in the virtual Shell Eco-marathon Off-Track Awards for the Asia region. Students submitted their entries with video content to show their work in action. A virtual jury selected the winners for the six award categories: Vehicle Design (Prototype and Urban Concept), Technical Innovation, Communications, Safety, and Circular Economy.
This year also marks the 35th anniversary of Shell Eco-marathon. Over the years, Shell Eco-marathon has seen thousands of high school and university students from across the world build ultra-energy-efficient vehicles, in a variety of designs, using a spectrum of energy types. Every year brings new stories of human endeavour and technical excellence, as teams push the boundaries of what’s possible. In these extraordinary times, Shell Eco-marathon continued to find ways to keep the spirit of innovation alive among its student participants.
2020 Shell Eco-marathon Asia Off-Track Awards
Technical innovation Award, presented by Southwest Research Institute
- Winner: Team #201, TP Eco-Flash, Temasek Polytechnic – Singapore
Communications Award:
- Winner: Team #17, Eco Titans, VIT University – India
- Honourable mention: Team #504, Semar Urban UGM, Universitas Gadjah Mada – Indonesia
Circular Economy Award:
- Winner: Team #316, Pravega, Government Engineering College, Barton Hill University – India
Vehicle Design Award (Prototype), presented by Altair:
- Winner: Team #315, DTU E-Supermileage, Delhi Technical University – India
- Honourable mention: Team #308, Politeknik Brunei SSE, Politeknik Brunei – Brunei Darussalam
Vehicle Design Award (Urban Concept), presented by Altair:
- Winner: Team #709, NV11 Nanyang Autonomous Venture, Nanyang Technological University – Singapore
- Honourable mention: Team #615, Averera, Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University – India
Safety Award:
- Winner: Team #320 Inferno, Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology University – India