Shell invites students to join the inaugural Shell Eco-marathon

The event will be held at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 9 to 10 July 2010. Registration for SEM Asia 2010 will open on 16 July 2009, and 10 qualified "early birds" will receive a further subsidy if they register and make it to the race next year.

Mavis Kuek, General Manager for External Affairs & Communications, Shell Companies in Singapore, said, "Holding the Shell Eco-marathon in Asia will enable more students in the region to showcase their technology, creativity and innovation by challenging them to design and build vehicles that will go the farthest using the least amount of energy.

"The SEM is more than a competition. It’s about pushing the limits of fuel efficiency and encouraging students to find solutions for sustainable mobility, to address the energy challenge now."

To-date, at least seven teams from various Singapore educational institutions have expressed interest to take part in SEM Asia 2010. A few have already started designing their cars ahead of next year’s race.

In 2007, the National University of Singapore (NUS) was the first institution in Asia to send a team to SEM Europe. This year, it was joined by other teams in Singapore from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) at the 25th SEM Europe.

The NUS team made headlines with their hydrogen fuel cell-powered car. Despite challenges travelling to Germany for the race when the world was on high alert for a potential Influenza A (H1N1) flu pandemic, it came in an impressive fifth out of 57 teams in the Urban Concept category with just one shot at the final run.

The winning team in the same category, from Norway’s Norges Tekniske og Naturvitenskapelige Universitet (NTNU), ran an amazing 1,246 kilometres (per litre fuel equivalent) on their hydrogen fuel cell-powered car.

Singapore’s NTU clocked an outstanding 108 fuel-equivalent kilometres with their solar-powered car and came in second out of 28 for the SEM Safety Award, a remarkable achievement for a first-timer at the event.

Zhang Wei Sheng, a third-year engineering student from NUS, said his team is looking forward to take part in the SEM again next year in Kuala Lumpur. He is glad that the next race will be closer to home, "SEM Europe gave me the opportunity to hone my engineering skills, and being there to share the experience with other teams was invaluable. A more accessible location like Malaysia will mean savings in overall travel cost and time."

Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) will be the sending two teams to SEM Asia for the first time next year. Its senior lecturer and manager for the Design & Rapid Prototyping Centre at its School of Engineering, Kaya Totong, returned from a recce trip to SEM Europe 2009, and said that he was impressed with the objectives of SEM and the enthusiasm displayed by student teams from all over the world.

Online registration for SEM Asia 2010 opens on 16 July 2009 - the first 10 teams to register for the event and complete the race will be eligible for a US$1,000 incentive subsidy per team*. Participants must be at least 16 years of age and be supported by a teacher-in-charge. More information can be obtained at www.shell.com/eco-marathon or by e-mailing eco-marathon-asia@shell.com

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Credits: JRC