SG teams show Sheer Wheel Power at Shell Eco-Marathon 2016

While Team NTU 3D-Printed Car went head-to-head with eight other teams in the UrbanConcept (Battery Electric) category, its sister team, Nanyang E-Drive, competed with 13 other qualifying cars in the Prototype (Battery Electric) category. Both teams, which were present at last year’s competition, finished third place after successfully clearing the inspection pit stop, surpassing their previous year’ performance.

Team EcoTraveller from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) in Singapore also emerged fourth place in the Prototype (Battery Electric) category, clocking in right after the Nanyang EDrive team.

Based on this year’s results, four UrbanConcept teams have qualified for the Drivers’ World Championship, held at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London later this year. Team NTU 3D-Printed Car is amongst those invited to compete at the event, having qualified as a wildcard entrant. The other qualified teams include three teams from Indonesia and a team from the Philippines .

"The Shell Eco-marathon Drivers’ World Championship Race marks an important step in the evolution of Shell Eco-marathon and the global drive for energy efficiency, challenging the students to push further than they have before,” said Norman Koch, Shell Eco-marathon Global Technical Director. “I’m extremely excited to see five teams from Shell Eco-marathon Asia clock strong mileage results in order to qualify for the Drivers’ World Championship at Make The Future London, and I look forward to seeing them compete against the best in the world."

Five Off-Track Awards Presented to Outstanding Student Teams

In addition to the 24 On-Track awards, teams also competed for five Off-Track Awards that tested their technical and creative skills, as well as their approach to safety and sustainability. A panel of experts from various fields judged the students on a variety of categories that covered Communications, Vehicle Design, Technical Innovation, Safety, and Perseverance and Spirit of the Event.

Two student teams from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore won four of the five off-track awards, with Team NTU 3D-Printed Car bringing home the Communications and Safety awards. They share the Vehicle Design award with Team NSTRU Eco-Racing from Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University, Thailand.

Team Nanyang E-Drive received the award for Technical Innovation for their application of a unique battery fire suppression system. It utilises CO2 to prevent the battery from igniting as a result of overheating. This self-created technology – which was partly devised using a guitar string – was simple, effective and robust in ensuring that both the driver and the vehicle remained safe while it was on the track.

Associate Professor Ng Heong Wah, who mentored the two NTU teams, said, “Not only did the students use their engineering knowledge, they also went beyond what they learnt in their curriculum to find new ways to improve fuel efficiency and performance while ensuring the safety standards,” he said. “With new teams joining the race every year, the competition gets tougher, and our win was so close that it was down to mere decimals. These awards are proof of the students’ relentless perseverance, determination, and drive to want to do NTU proud.

Shell Eco-marathon Asia welcomed close to 30,000 members of the public over the span of four days, who got up close to the student competition and watched live performances at the Fan Zone. Visitors were also treated to a captivating and educational adventure into the future of energy, cities and sustainability at the Energy Zone, and enjoyed an outdoor festival where they were able to participate in activities and grab a bite to eat.