Shell launches SEM Asia 2015

MANILA, Philippines - The world’s search for fuel-efficient cars that meet future energy demands through sustainable mobility has shifted to higher gear this year with the launch of Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) Asia 2015.

The launch was held at the Plaza Mayor of University of Sto. Tomas yesterday with Bobby Kanapi, Pilipinas Shell’s vice president for communications, leading the launch and the ceremonial run for the host school’s “T-400” eco-car designed by the UST Eco-Tigers1 team. The “T-400” runs on gasoline fuel and is UST’s urban category entry into this year’s SEM Asia event.

The Philippines plays host once again to the regional leg of Shell’s renowned global tilt that has been bringing together youth engineers in developing fuel-efficient vehicles that are designed for the future – utilizing an energy mix that includes biofuels such as ethanol, to technologies such as compressed natural gas and gas-to-liquids (GTL) apart from conventional gasoline and diesel. The original car inventions are classified into prototype and urban concept categories. 

Earlier this year, SEM Asia convened in Manila for the first time, coinciding with the centennial anniversary of the Shell companies in the Philippines. On a special racetrack circling the historic Rizal Park, some of the entries will be made to compete in speed, mileage and other technical and design aspects from February 25 to March 1, 2015. It will be held in the country until 2016.

“SEM Asia started about 13 years ago with the different Shell companies competing against each other to see which is the most ‘efficient’ vehicle, with efficiency measured in terms of which car can travel farthest using the least amount of fuel,” related Kanapi. “That started the whole thing and then we invited universities to design cars and encouraged their students to build the units – first in Europe, then in America, and eventually in Asia in 2010. We really have to give it to the Philippines because we now have a lot of universities in this country willing to build their own cars. We are actually getting more participants this year compared to last year.” 

Record-breaking year

Since its inception in 2010, Shell Eco-marathon Asia has continued to post an increasing number of achievements – proof of the program’s success in spreading advocacy on smarter mobility, in developing new energy sources and engaging today’s youth in a dialogue on the future of energy.

For 2015, a record-breaking total of 178 student teams from 20 countries across the entire Asia will be participating. Contingents from Australia, Bangladesh, Oman, and Saudi Arabia will be coming in for the first time, including an entry from South Africa that has been included in the Asian leg for the time being. In the Philippines, a record number of 34 entries from 25 engineering colleges and universities have been fielded, compared to 15 teams from 9 schools onsite just last year.

Setting modest goals

UST, one of the participating schools from the Philippines which had been participating in the SEM Asia since its inception in 2010, is setting its sight on achieving a modest goal for its T-400 prototype category car entry this year. “I’ve learned a lot from our participation in the last SEM Asia event held in Manila,” beamed Paolo Jose, team manager of the UST Eco-Tigers1, in his speech delivered during the launch. “It was a worthwhile experience for me as I was able to witness firsthand how other students have worked hard for their cars. We have done some modifications (in the T-400) by doing away with the hybrid part and using aluminum body which is lighter than the fiber glass we used before. What we would like to do now for the upcoming event is to improve on our performance and hopefully, win at least a special award.”

Establishing a fuel efficiency of 172.3 kilometers per liter for the T-400 in their last outing, the prototype entry from UST was actually considered the best-performing vehicle among Philippine schools that competed in that year. They were also named fifth-best in Asia, with teams from Malaysia and Thailand lording it over the other entries after submitting fuel efficiency records of over 2,000 kilometers per liter of fuel.

Aside from the nine universities, including UST, which competed onsite the last time out, sixteen other schools have been added to the list of participants this year: Ateneo de Davao University, Cebu Institute of Technology, De La Salle Dasmariñas, Feati University, Holy Angels University, Malayan Colleges Laguna, Manuel L. Quezon University, Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology, National University, New Era University, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Southern Luzon State University, Technological University of the Philippines –Manila,  University of the East, University of the Philippines – Diliman, and University of Mindanao.