Students from Oman to take part in Shell eco-marathon
Times News Service
MUSCAT: Shell Oman signed an agreement with the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) and the Caledonian College of Engineering for their participation in next year’s Shell eco-marathon, one of the world’s leading energy efficiency competitions.
The competition requires engineering students from around the world to design, engineer, and build energy-efficient vehicles to be tested during the eco-marathon, which is won by the vehicle that goes the farthest on the least amount of fuel.
GUtech Professor and Deputy Rector for Academic Affairs Dr. Armin Eberlein, Caledonian College Professor Dr. Ahmed Hassan Al-Bulushi, Shell’s Country Chairman in Oman Chris Breeze, and Shell Oman Marketing Company CEO Mohammed Mahmood Al Balushi, signed the “agreement of commitment”.
Breeze said, “We are excited to be signing this agreement with both GUtech and Caledonian and look forward to their participation in the Shell eco-marathon. There is a lot of growing talent and innovation in Oman and through their involvement in the Shell eco-marathon, students are gaining experiences they may not get in the classroom.
“More importantly, they are realising the power they have to make a change and their roles as participants working towards global energy solutions. It is our responsibility as energy leaders to not only work towards solutions amongst ourselves, but to mentor and inspire our youth, who will inherit the world, and who want to make it better.” Al Balushi said, “Shell eco-marathon provides an opportunity for the new generation of innovative leaders from Oman to engage in a global dialogue on the future of energy transition and sustainable mobility. This initiative is meant to inspire innovative thinking and creativity, which are embedded in the way Shell Oman operates.”
More than 100 students from nearly 20 countries throughout Asia and the Middle East will compete. Participants take their vehicles to the track in the Mileage Challenge to see which vehicle can go the farthest with the least amount of fuel. The students are challenged to design, build and test energy-efficient cars, pushing the boundaries of what is technically possible.
“We are privileged to have Shell’s support for GUtech’s participation in the Shell Eco-marathon over the past five years. The programme has made a significant impact on our teams, allowing us to refine and improve our designs from year to year. As a result, we were the best team from Oman in last year’s eco-marathon Asia, getting the third place amongst the diesel engines,” said Eberlein.
The 2019 Shell eco-marathon will be GUtech’s fifth consecutive year and the Caledonians third year of participation.
In 2015, the GUtech team was the first from Oman to participate in the final competition in Manila; they were fifth in the diesel category.
In 2018, GUtech finished in third place in the prototype diesel category and a commendable 17th place out of 30 in the prototype internal combustion class.