MANILA, Philippines—On to the checkered flag!
Countless kilometers were driven and 29 trophies were given in the closure of the three-day racing event of the Shell Eco-marathon 2014 Sunday evening in Manila.
Indonesia and Malaysia drove away with the best first place finishes in the competition with four and three top prizes respectively.
Indonesia were in pole position with seven trophies, Thailand with five, Malaysia with four, China and Singapore with two apiece, and the Philippines and Qatar with one.
Of the 29 trophies given, two were given for a single prize.
The Perseverance and Spirit of the Event, one of the awards of the Off-Track category, were given to the MIT Eco-Warriors of Madras Institute of Technology from India and the DLSU Eco Car Team-Electric of the De La Salle University from the Philippines.
The award was given to the two teams as they displayed generosity under the clouds of competition.
DLSU gave the car that they used in the race’s installment of the previous year to the MIT Eco-Warriors after the latter’s car was held at the customs office of Singapore days before the event.
“We wanted to stage an event where it would not only be fun and competitive but also safe for everybody,” Lydon Lumain, Shell Eco-marathon Philippines project manager, said after the awarding ceremony at the Manila Hotel.
The competition had two major categories depending on the cars used, “Urban Concept” and “Prototype,” with each category having six subcategories depending on the fuel used.
Apart from the racing awards, there were five Off-Track awards for those teams that displayed excellence off the race track.
The winners for the “Prototype” category are as follows (Country, school, team name):
Hydrogen
1st Place: Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam, UiTM Eco-Sprint
2nd Place: Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM 2 Car Fuel Cell
Battery Electric
1st place: Thailand, Rattanakosin Technological College, Rattanokasin Technological College
2nd place: China, Guangzhou College of South China University of Technology, Huaqi EV Team
Petrol (gasoline) Fuel
1st place: Thailand, Sakon Nakhon Technical College, Virgin
2nd place: Thailand, Kong Thabbok Upatham Changkol Kho So Tho Bo School, ATE.1
Diesel Fuel
1st place: China, Tongji University, Zeal Eco-power Diesel
2nd place: Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, NTU Diesel Car Racing Team
Alternative Petrol (gasoline) Fuel
1st place: Thailand, Panjavidhya Technological College, How Much Ethanol
2nd place: Thailand, Dhurakji Pundit University, Luk Jao Mae Khlong Prapa
Alternative Diesel Fuel
1st place: Malaysia, Monash University, Malaysia, Team Monash 2
2nd place: Qatar, Qatar University, Gernas
The winners for the “Urban Concept” category are as follows (Country, school, team name):
Hydrogen
1st place: Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam, UiTM Eco-Planet
Battery Electric
1st place: Singapore, Institute of Technical Education (ITE), ITERBO3
2nd place: Philippines, De La Salle University, DLSU Eco-Car Team Electric
Petrol (gasoline) Fuel
1st place: Indonesia, Universitas Indonesia, Sadewa Otto
2ns place: Indonesia, Sabelas Maret University, Bengawan Team 2
Diesel Fuel
1st place: Indonesia, Politeknik Negeri Pontianak, Mesin Polnep Diesel Team
2nd place: Indonesia, University of Sumatera Utara, Horas USU
Alternative Petrol (gasoline) Fuel
1st place: Indonesia, University of Sumatera Utara, HORAS MESIN
Alternative Diesel Fuel
1st place: Indonesia, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, ITS Team 2
2nd place: Indonesia, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Cikal Diesel
The Off-Track awards winners are as follows (Country, school, team name)
Communications
Pakistan, National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Karachi, PNEC NUST-PROTOTYPE
Vehicle Design
Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, NTU Diesel Car Racing Team
Technical Innovation
Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, NTU Diesel Car Racing Team
Perseverance and Spirit of the Event
Philippines, De La Salle University, DLSU Eco Car Team-Electric
India, Madras Insitute of Technology, MIT Eco-Warriors
Safety
Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, NTU Diesel Car Racing Team
Shell Helix Tribology
Malaysia, Monash University, Malaysia, Team Monash 2
The homestand
And like in any other sports, student teams from the host country believe they have the “home advantage,” especially when designing, building and driving their innovative car entries.
This was proven by the Technological Institute of the Philippines, which bested 12 teams under the Urban Concept Diesel Category coming in third place with a fuel consumption rating of 47.44 kilometers per liter.
The “Urban Concept” category requires students to build a vehicle resembling an ordinary car powered by fuel. The “Prototype” category, meanwhile, seeks for the “most aerodynamic and fuel-efficient vehicle possible.”
Jerelyn Notario, team manager of the TIP Manila Mileage, said they made their “Urban Concept” entry powered by diesel for a specific goal.
“We used diesel because in the Philippines, most modes of transportation like jeepneys and buses often use it,” she told INQUIRER.net a few hours before their entry run the tracks.
“We want to contribute to the advocacy of Shell in building energy-efficient cars,” Notario added.
TIP college had four individual teams composed of Engineering students vying for the $2,000 grand prize. Two of which came from its Manila campus while the remaining others are from Quezon City campus.
According to her, the TIP Manila Mileage had won the “Best Team Spirit” award in 2012 Shell Eco-Marathon held at Sepang, Malaysia.
“Our advantage is that we know where to buy spare parts and materials needed whenever our cars experience faults. We can always rush to Raon and Quiapo for troubleshooting problems,” said Notario.
“We can always do ocular inspections whenever we want to (while we build our cars),” she explained.
The race track set up in Quirino Grandstand gave Philippine student teams the advantage as they could “study and measure the road condition” in just a few-minute drive away from their school campuses for preparation.
Gabriel Martin Parami, University of Santo Tomas Eco-Tigers representative, believed as well that although the track is not as fine in Sepang, they have the luxury of time to analyze and adjust to the road condition in Manila.
Another challenge Parami said was that they have to build a more durable car that could take minor road bumps and one that could establish momentum in straight tracks.
In the 2012 Eco-Marathon Asia, teams drove in an actual race track that has bends and downhill portions.
He said the UST Eco-Tigers, one of the schools that pioneered the global mileage competition in 2010, has been preparing for almost a year.
Due to the haze in Indonesia, where the 2013 Shell Eco-Marathon Asia was supposed to take place, the annual event was scrapped.
Inside the Shell Technical Inspection area, all entries have to undergo stages of diagnostic tests, including the inspection of safety belts, brakes, vehicle dimension, driver’s weight, design and energy verification.
Among the few, the De La Salle University Eco-Car Team successfully hurdled the tests.
The team ranked second in the Urban Concept- Battery Electric Category with a consumption rating of 66.38 kilometers per kilowatt hour.
Andrew Tan Lee, DLSU Eco-Car team leader, told INQUIRER.net that after extensive research, they were able to put solar panels on “Archer,” La Salle’s Urban Electric car.
The DLSU Eco-Car Team first attempted to join the 2013 Eco-Marathon Asia supposedly held in Indonesia.
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