Team Nigeria enters for Shell Eco-marathon in Rotterdam
The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) Ltd operated Joint Venture is sponsoring University of Lagos and University of Benin to the 2014 edition of Shell Eco-marathon Europe which holds in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, May 15 – 18.
Students from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, University of Lagos and University of Benin had last year attended Shell Ecomarathon Europe as observers of the 2013 edition on SPDC JV sponsorship.
Since then, the students from Lagos and Benin have successfully built cars that are being sent to Rotterdam this week, in line with the main objective of Shell Ecomarathon: to challenge students from around the world to design, build and race fuel-efficient vehicles.
According to the company, the judges will be looking to reward the cars that drive farthest with the least amount of fuel.
SPDC Managing Director and Country Chairman, Shell companies in Nigeria, Mutiu Sunmonu, expressed pleasure over the development.
“As first time entries, we’re modest in our expectations from Team Nigeria, but to scale through the technical qualification phase is itself a reward. We want to focus attention on the future of energy in a world with a rapidly growing population, and we believe the undergraduates travelling to Rotterdam will help push the boundaries of this discussion. At Shell, we use human ingenuity, innovation and technology to unlock the energy our customers need.”
He said the SPDC JV has supported the teams of engineering undergraduates to design and build cars which have been tested to cheering crowds on their campuses.
According to him, a Professor of Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Ike Mowete, is leading the team in Lagos, while a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Akii Ibhadode, heads the Benin group.