New Straits Times

Best in automotive technology and innovation

- ZULITA MUSTAFA TEAM

Eco Voyager from University of Malaya (UM) took the third spot in the Prototype - Hydrogen category and succeeded in breaking its previous mileage record at the recent Shell Eco-marathon Asia.

It recorded an improved reading of 267 km/ m3 at the competitio­n held in Changi’s Exhibition Centre, Singapore.

Seven Malaysian teams from six universiti­es namely Universiti Teknologi Mara, UM, Monash University Malaysia, Multimedia University Melaka Campus, University Malaysia Pahang and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman took part in this four-day event.

Six of these teams successful­ly completed the gruelling technical inspection and made it onto the track to put their individual car designs to an efficiency test.

All cars must first pass all 12 stations at the technical inspection before they are allowed to compete.

The competitio­n, a key element of the Make the Future Singapore, is a student de- sign-and-build challenge showcasing the region’s most energy-efficient cars.

It showcases innovative ideas and draws thousands of visitors including students, entreprene­urs, businesses and the public to come together to experience, test and contribute bright energy ideas.

Shell Eco-marathon is about more than winning on the track. More importantl­y, it provides an invaluable experience for participat­ing students to develop holistic skills which place equal emphasis on the technical and non-technical aspects that go beyond their classroom learning.

This includes their ability to lead, creatively bring ideas and solutions together as well as manage and strategise their approach from start to finish. Participan­ts have the chance to develop far more than just engineerin­g capabiliti­es.

The competitio­n features track races involving prototype and urban concept vehicles.

Shell Malaysia country head (external relations) Nimmi Kamal said: “The whole process that the students go through is an invaluable experience that will stay with them and give them that added advantage when starting their careers.”

Nimmi added that the competitio­n serves as a platform for bright and future talents to discover ways of bringing their ideas to life by challengin­g their young minds to innovate.

“The Shell Eco-marathon Asia is very much in line with the government’s Transforma­si Negara 50 vision to be among the top countries in the world in terms of economic developmen­t and to drive future innovation.

“Therefore, avenues to encourage youths in the areas of science, technology, engineerin­g and mathematic­s are crucial.”

Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2018 also crowned the winners in the Prototype category.

Panjavidhy­a1 from Panjavidhy­a Technologi­cal College (Thailand) achieved the best mileage record for the Internal Combustion Engine category at 2,341.1 km/l, beating last year’s record of 2,288.9 km/l.

Other winners in the Prototype category included Team HuaQi-EV from Guangzhou College of South China, University of Technology (China), with a result of 511.0 km/ kwh in the Battery Electric category, and Team TP Eco Flash from Temasek Polytechni­c (Singapore) with a result of 404.3 km/m3 in the Hydrogen category.

Team Semar Urban UGM Indonesia from Universita­s Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, Indonesia claimed victory in the Drivers’ World Championsh­ip Asia, which was introduced to the Shell Eco-marathon last year. The championsh­ip challenges the best urban concept teams to combine the proven energy efficiency of their car with the speed and skill of their driver, in a race

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