Every year, for the last nine years, I would look forward to witnessing the annual Shell Eco-marathon Asia (SEMA). If you haven’t heard of it yet, it is Shell’s brilliantly unique event that challenges bright, young minds to conceptualize, market, build, and drive ultra-energy-efficient vehicles, with the hopes of promoting the advancement of ever-smarter mobility technologies for the future.
I started covering the Asian leg of the Shell Eco-marathon way back in 2011 (although the very first SEMA was held in 2010) and watched as its participants grew in number, year after year. Last 2019, over 100 student teams from 18 countries across Asia Pacific and the Middle East took the challenge to design and build the vehicle that could go the farthest distance on the least amount of energy.
Of these, 53 student teams joined the prototype vehicle category, while 55 teams competed in the Urban Concept vehicle category. The entries were divided based on three energy-source categories, namely: the classic Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) – which include engines running on gasoline, diesel, and ethanol (biofuel); Battery-electric power; and Hydrogen Fuel Cell.
But on top of the regular ‘On-Track Awards,’ the Shell Eco-marathon Asia also recognizes student teams who excel in other special aspects. As such, there have also always been the highly anticipated ‘Off-Track Awards,’ which recognize a student team’s excellence in the fields of Vehicle Design (for prototype and urban concept vehicles, separately), Technical Innovation, Communications, Circular Economy, and Safety.
This 2020 would have marked the (global) Shell Eco-marathon’s 35th anniversary, and the plan was for the Asian leg (SEMA) to have been hosted in Sepang, Malaysia sometime this June. But as we have all witnessed, COVID-19 emerged as an unforeseen major disruptor of almost all things normal in the world. With multiple countries closing their borders, the WHO declaring a pandemic, and regular aviation almost coming to a complete halt, there was no way the traditional Shell Eco-marathon Asia could be held in Malaysia this year.
Instead, Shell has decided to adjust and take a different route. It has opted to conduct its very first ‘Virtual Shell Eco-marathon Asia’ – which although without the competitive track drives, instead pursues to award the teams who have shown excellence, via its well-known ‘Off-Track Awards.’
This year student teams from India dominated the Off-Track Awards as Team Eco Titans from VIT University bagged the Communications Award; Team Pravega from the Government Engineering College, Barton Hill University took home the Circular Economy Award; Team DTU E-Supermileage from the Delhi Technical University won the Vehicle Design Award in the prototype category; and Team Inferno from the Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology triumphed with the Safety Award.
Meanwhile, student teams from Singapore won in the other two categories: Team TP Eco Flash from the Temasek Polytechnic received the Technical Innovation Award; while Team NV11 Nanyang Autonomous Venture from the Nanyang Technological University conquered the Vehicle Design Award in the Urban Concept category.
Team TP Eco Flash triumphed because of the technical inventiveness of their vehicle design, which worked to convert hydrogen waste into clean energy. The exceptional team was comprised of students from different backgrounds – namely, in clean energy, electronics and mechatronics.
“Taking part in the Shell Eco-marathon has been a very fulfilling journey for our team and our advisors, and we are glad that we were able to see our hydrogen-powered vehicle in action before the Circuit Breaker in Singapore happened,” shared Chng Tze Chen, the student manager of Team TP Eco Flash. “Being able to be part of this year’s regional competition allowed us to test our ideas and come up with real-world solutions using clean energy,” he added.
Although the Philippines did not take home any Off-Track Awards this year, the entries from four Philippine universities did make it to the finals in the Vehicle Design category.
This year’s winners were announced last June 3 via a live, virtual ceremony broadcast on the Shell Eco-marathon’s Instagram and Twitter accounts. The ceremony was led by the Shell Eco-marathon’s long-time authority and Global General Manager, Norman Koch. Moreover, Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc turned up during the ceremony as a surprise guest of honor.
“We understand how the students were looking forward to compete at the Shell Eco-marathon this year. While we were not able to hold a physical event due to COVID-19, having the virtual Off-Track Awards this year allowed us to honor the work the students have done, and to provide them with a continued opportunity to compete,” shared Koch.