Shell's Fuel Efficiency Challenge To Be Held In Asia In July 2010

SINGAPORE - Imagine driving from Singapore to Bangkok and back on just one litre of fuel (covering almost 3,000 km).  Eight (8) student teams from four (4) local Institutes of Learning will be participating at the inaugural Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) Asia event in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia from 8 – 10 July 2010. They will challenge themselves if they can go the farthest with the least amount of fuel in the car they have designed and built.

The Singapore teams from Institute of Technical Education (ITE) West, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) can expect keen competition with 85 teams from eleven (11) countries taking part. An estimated 1,000 people including students, business leaders, media and faculty members from the schools and universities in the region will be at the race held at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur. 

“The Shell Eco-marathon offers a fun and unique platform for us to encourage youths to develop innovative and energy efficient transport solutions to address today’s energy challenge. The Singapore teams, like their counterparts in Asia and elsewhere, are now part of a larger global initiative to create a sustainable energy future.  I am glad we can bring this event to Asia and to showcase Asia's young talents,” commented Mavis Kuek, Project Manager for Shell Eco-marathon Asia.

Commented Howard Shaw, Singapore Environment Council’s Executive Director, “The Council is supportive of programmes such as Shell Eco-marathon Asia. The transport sector contributes a significant proportion towards global greenhouse gas emissions. SEM will inspire the engineers of tomorrow to innovate towards sustainability. To do more with less, or in this case go further with less!” 

The Shell Eco-marathon has been running as an organized competition in its current form in France since 1985.  In 2008, the event was brought to the Americas. It will be held in Asia for the first time in July 2010 making this a truly global Shell programme.

The principle of the Shell Eco-marathon is simple: to design and build the world’s most fuel-efficient vehicle with the fewest emissions. Either conventional fuels (such as diesel, gasoline and LPG), or alternative fuels (such as solar, electric, hydrogen, bio-fuels and GTL) can be used to power the vehicles.

The goal of the project is not to break speed records or be the first to finish; it is to consume as little fuel as possible over a set distance. Besides being a great academic and technical challenge, the event helps foster values like teamwork among students. Preparing and racing a winning entry requires good organisation and a strong spirit of collaboration and shared responsibility among all team members.

Teams can enter two main categories: Prototype where design considerations focus on reducing drag and maximisng efficiency, resulting in futuristic streamlined vehicles; and the Urban Concept category where more readily identifiable “cars” that look like passenger vehicles race.  Both categories embrace a wide variety of fuel types, from fuels such as diesel and petrol to alternative fuels like ethanol, gas-to-liquid (GTL), hydrogen, solar energy, and biofuels.  As long as teams adhere to safety rules, vehicle design is limited only by students’ imagination.

Singapore’s entries to Shell Eco-marathon Asia include one Urban Concept vehicle and seven Prototype vehicles.

Grand prizes of US$1,500 will be awarded to teams in both the Prototype and Urban Concept categories for the vehicles that travel the farthest using the least amount of energy. There will also be off-track awards for safety, technical innovation, design and communications and marketing.

Current Record for Prototypes
Polytech’ Nantes (France): Prototype Fuel Cell 4,896 km/l, a new record set since 2005 at Shell Eco-marathon Europe 2010

Current Record for Urban Concept
De Haagse Hogeschool/TH Rijswijk Academie voor Engineering (The Netherlands): Urban Concept Fuel Cell/Hydrogen 848 km/l

EDITOR’S NOTE
For more information on the Shell Eco-Marathon, please visit:
www.shell.com/eco-marathon

For any enquiries regarding the Shell Eco-Marathon, please contact:
Ms Caroline Loke
Head, Social Investment, Shell
Tel: +65 6215 1218 or 9656 9688
e-mail: caroline.loke@shell.com

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