Manila, Philippines - Action in the Shell Eco-Marathon Challenge (SEM) heated up yesterday with Team Philippines fighting it out for top honors against the other crack teams in Asia in Day 4 at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Team Phl has fielded in six teams composed of young, talented engineers from five powerhouse schools, chasing honors for better energy efficiency. They were among the 82 teams from a total of 117 registered to have passed all the rigorous tests for the Prototype category while only 38 teams made the grade in the Urban Concept division.
Starting strong after the flag-off, Team Ice of De La Salle University and its entry leads Team Phl in the scoreboard under the Prototype category with a total of 255km logged for the equivalent of 1 liter of fuel.
“It was overwhelming, but it was also a great experience for all of us,” said team leader Juan Migueo Araneta.
The Prototype category features the students’ futuristic concepts-streamlined vehicles focused on maximizing fuel-efficiency through innovative design elements. Meanwhile, the Urban Concept category focuses more on “roadworthy” fuel-efficient vehicles.
The annual event, put up by Shell, requires student-teams to design, build and test vehicles that can go the farthest distance using the least amount of energy.
Shell Eco-Marathon has also launched three new special off-track citations this year, namely Eco-Design, Best Team Spirit and Perseverance in the Face of Adversity along with on-track awards.
Other members of Team Phl are Team University of the Philippines (UP-Diliman), Team Lahutay from the University of San Carlos (USC-Cebu), and Teams Mileage and Golden Engineers from Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) Manila and Quezon City.