Hybrid cars built by UP, Mapua students win intl tilt

The hybrid cars built by teams from the University of the Philippines and Mapua Institute of Technology won awards in the recently concluded Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2011.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said, “Team UP from the University of the Philippines won the Diesel Fuel Award for its urban concept vehicle entry ‘Kidlat’ which runs on a hybrid diesel engine.”

“The Mapua Institute of Technology’s Team ‘Amihan’ won second place for the Safety Award, recognizing their effort to comply with the safety rules and integrate safety concerns into their vehicle design and construction,” it added.

The DFA said the marathon was held from July 6 to 9 at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The other Philippine schools that participated in the competition were De La Salle University, Don Bosco Technical College, Technological Institute of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas.

The competition gathered the brightest students from 12 countries to design and build a vehicle that can travel the greatest distance using the least energy.

In June, GMA News TV’s “State of the Nation” featured UP’s kidlat, a car that consumes less than one-fourth liter of gasoline for a five-kilometer travel.

Thai teams sweep awards

Meanwhile, according to a news release on the Shell website, Thailand took the top spots in the events for both student teams and day-to-day motorists, repeating their winning streak from last year.

“Thai team Luk Jao Mae Khlong Prapa emerged winner under the Prototype Category,
despite being newcomers to the competition. They set a new record of 2,213.4 kilometers on a litre of fuel, enough to drive from Kuala Lumpur to Chang Mai in northern Thailand,” Shell said.

“This is even further than last year’s record — 1,521.9 km/L — which could take them from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok,” Shell added.

Last year, only three Philippine teams competed in the eco-marathon tilt. Two teams received special off-track awards:

How the marathon began

The Shell Eco-Marathon idea started in 1939 when the “Shell Mileage Marathon” scientists in the US challenged each other in an internal competition to see whose car gave the best mileage.

The concept pushed the introduction of the Shell Eco-Marathon Europe in 1985.

Twenty-two years later, the Shell Eco-Marathon Americas was launched. The competition in Asia began only last year.

The marathon hopes to inspire engineering students to craft strategies on mobility and fuel efficiency, according to Shell.

It also wants to help promote the use of efficient energy to address environmental concerns on the use of fossil fuels, and to explore alternative energies, it added. — with Jesse Edep/VVP, GMA News