| Achong Tanjong |
THREE teams of 21 students and three supervisors departed for Singapore yesterday to represent Brunei Darussalam in the Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2018, a global programme that challenges bright students to design and build ultra energy-efficient cars, and then put them to the test in competition.
The participants are from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) and Politeknik Brunei (PB).
They will be competing against more than 120 teams from 18 countries around Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, who will be attempting to push the boundaries of energy efficiency by coming up with the right combination of energy source, streamlined design, lightweight materials and driving strategy.
Supported by Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP) with collaboration from the Ministry of Education, UBD, UTB and PB, the teams will be participating in one of the event’s two categories: the Prototype (futuristic and highly aerodynamic vehicles) category.
UBD, which is participating in the event for the sixth time, will be showcasing its ‘Gendeavour ’37’ eco vehicle. Compared to previous vehicles, their new and more aerodynamic vehicle comes with a number of new improvements, including new materials for the chassis, a new motor, a redesigned main motor controller, usage of an internal gear hub, upgrade from a 24V to 48V battery, and the usage of a unique hybrid braking system.
UTB, another seasoned competitor, meanwhile is bringing in their ‘Pahlawan III.X’, which is an incarnation of the vehicle they used in last year’s Shell Eco-marathon in Singapore. Their team UTB Eco-Drive 2018 comprises seven handpicked students under the Mechanical Engineering, Information Systems and Creative Multimedia programmes.
PB’s vehicle ‘Yakin II’ is the culmination of what its team learnt and experienced from the previous Shell Eco-marathon in 2017 – the PB team completely redesigned the vehicle into what it is today. Various changes have been made to the vehicle, with its chassis being redesigned into a teardrop shape to reduce drag and maximise its travelling distance, speed and efficiency.
The car is made out of mostly carbon fibre material, resulting in the reduction of more than 50 per cent of the weight of its predecessor the Yakin.
Among those seeing off the students at Brunei International Airport were Datin Dr Hajah Anita Binurul Zahrina binti Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abdul Aziz, Vice Chancellor of UBD; Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah binti Haji Sulaiman, Vice Chancellor of UTB; and Denis Ho Mun Tai, Director of PB.
Also present were representatives from BSP and Brunei Shell Marketing Company Sdn Bhd (BSM) as well as sponsors supporting the education institutions.
This year’s Shell Eco-marathon Asia will be the ninth year in which the event is held in Asia and the second time it is hosted in Singapore.
The event will see the introduction of the inaugural Drivers’ World Championship Asia, an exciting race format in which the best Asian teams will vie for a place in the Drivers’ World Championship Grand Final in London in 2018, where they will be competing in an exciting head-to-head race to determine whose vehicle is the most energy-efficient.
The Drivers’ World Championship Asia will be held during the Make the Future Singapore Festival, an inaugural Asian edition of Shell’s global Make the Future festival of ideas and innovation. This free-of-charge public festival will feature bright energy ideas and solutions to address the global energy challenge: how to generate more energy while producing less carbon dioxide emissions.