Eight Tertiary Student Teams To Fly The Singapore Flag At Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2012

• New Team From Singapore Polytechnic To Take Part In 2012 Contingent
• A Total Of 130 Student Teams Across The Region To Compete In Third Annual Super-Mileage Challenge By Shell

From 4 to 7 July 2012, eight tertiary student teams from Singapore will hit the tracks of Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to compete in the annual Shell Eco-marathon (“SEM”) Asia competition. As of 20 June 2012, a total of 130 teams from 18 countries in Asia and the Middle East will be participating in the challenge. For the first time, the event will see new teams from Hong Kong, Korea, Lebanon, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates taking part.

The eight Singapore student teams hail from Ngee Ann Polytechnic (“NP”), National University of Singapore (“NUS”), Nanyang Technological University of Singapore (“NTU”), Institute of Technical Education College West (“ITE College West”), as well as new entrant Singapore Polytechnic (“SP”).

In the lead up to the race at Sepang, a ceremonial send-off event was held at Sentosa today with student teams showcasing their innovations and sharing stories of their winning aspirations. This year’s line-up boasts a range of new and improvised vehicles running on a variety of energy sources such as diesel, hydrogen, batteries, plug-in electricity, and solar.

SEM, a super-mileage challenge created by Shell, is designed to inspire student innovation and to develop future technologies that represent game-changing fuel efficiency and transportation performance. To help meet the growing energy demand and reduce future CO2 emissions, SEM Asia challenges participants to design, build, and test vehicles to go the farthest distance using the least amount of energy. It is about encouraging our youths to start addressing the energy challenge by creating innovative and smarter mobility solutions today.

Student teams are encouraged to participate in one or both of the “Prototype” and “UrbanConcept” competition classes and this year’s SEM Asia sees a total of 87 “Prototype” and 43 “UrbanConcept” entries from the region. The “Prototype” category invites student teams to enter futuristic prototypes – streamlined vehicles focused on maximising fuel efficiency through innovative design elements, such as drag reduction. The “UrbanConcept” class focuses on more “roadworthy” fuel-efficient vehicles. Aimed at meeting the real-life needs of drivers, these vehicles are closer in appearance to the higher-mileage cars seen on roads today.

Three Singapore teams will compete in the “UrbanConcept” class and five in the “Prototype” class. The diesel-powered NTU Venture IV, which won two awards last year for the diesel fuel category and the Off-Track Award for Safety, will return with its “Batmobile” creation with enhanced engineering features.

The NUS Urban Concept will contest with a brand new vehicle developed from scratch, sporting extreme lightweight features and an all-electronic clutch system to improve its fuel efficiency. iTErbo II, an improved creation by ITE College West, will also boast a lighter vehicle frame and a complete redesign of its drive system to get more mileage.

Additionally, SP will inaugurate its first race at the SEM Asia with a lightweight, energy-efficient, and reliable vehicle powered by solar panels and batteries. In terms of experience, the NUS team counts as being the most seasoned given that they have been taking part since 2007 in the European version of the SEM before the Asia leg came into place.

SEM Asia has attracted returning student participants across tertiary institutions in Singapore, with NUS, NTU, NP, and ITE College West participating in the race since its inception in 2010.

“We are impressed by how our Singapore student teams have challenged themselves year on year to develop more innovative and smarter creations to improve their own personal records and to break the boundaries of energy efficiency,” said Dr Huck Poh, Manufacturing Director, Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd and Shell’s representation at the Singapore send off. “With the addition of the Singapore Polytechnic team, and given the many improvements made by the more experienced teams, I am confident they will continue to do Singapore proud at this year’s regional competition.”

For more information on 2012 SEM Asia and related events across the globe, including official rules, instructions for registration and details on prizes, please visit the SEM website and Facebook page at www.shell.com/ecomarathon and http://www.facebook.com/Shell?sk=app_364083996951698& respectively.

About Shell Eco-marathon

Shell Eco-marathon began in 1939 at a Shell research laboratory in the United States as a friendly wager between scientists to see who could get the most miles per gallon from their vehicle. The winner of that contest barely achieved 50 mpg (21 km/l), and from these humble origins, a more organized competition evolved. In 1985 in France, Shell Eco-marathon as we know it today was born. In April 2007, Shell Eco-marathon Americas event was launched in the United States, and in 2010, the inaugural Shell Eco-marathon Asia was held in Malaysia.

Inquiries:

Edelman

Rachel Ho

Tel: 6494 1560

E-mail: Rachel.Ho@edelman.com

Shell Singapore

Caroline Loke

Tel: 6215 1218

E-mail: caroline.loke@shell.com