Team Singapore shines at Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2015
Mar 01, 2015
ITE and NTU take on fuel efficiency challenge with three innovative ultra-energy-efficient cars
Team Singapore swept a total of three on-track and off-track awards at Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) Asia 2015, clinched by Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
Participating in SEM Asia for the fifth time running, ITE and NTU contended with 124 other teams from 16 countries across Asia and the Middle East. Teams submitted vehicle entries in either the Urban Concept or Prototype category in any of the seven different energy types[1]. Results are measured on who can drive the furthest on the equivalent of 1 kWh or 1 litre of fuel.
Outstanding finish by Singapore student teams
Clinching third place in the Prototype-Battery Electric category, Team EcoTraveller from ITE achieved an outstanding mileage of 324 kilometres – the equivalent distance of driving up and down the entire length of the Pan Island Expressway[2] nearly eight times – in just one kilowatt of electrical energy. This marks a 49 percent improvement from their previous mileage recorded in 2014 (see Appendix for more details).
“We experienced ups and downs, but overall we had a good run on the track. We didn’t think so much about winning – we just focused on building our car and working to each team member’s strengths,” shared EcoTraveller’s student team lead, Sherwin Beh. “We would like to express our gratitude towards Shell for giving us the opportunity to challenge ourselves and showcase what we can do.”
Meanwhile, NTU bagged the Technical Innovation award, marking its second time in winning this award in the history of their participation in SEM Asia. The team impressed the jury with the NTU Venture 9, a racer that has the application of a novel steering mechanism that allows their vehicle to take sharp corners with little loss in speed.
The same team clinched the Safety award, having displayed a strong awareness of potential hazards, and for putting in control checks and measures to ensure that such incidents are prevented. Each team member had consistently displayed adherence to safety practices—a good sign that safety is truly ingrained and embedded in the hearts and minds of the entire team. This marks the fifth time that NTU has won the Safety award in the history of their participation in SEM Asia (see Appendix for more details).
“It’s my first time participating in SEM Asia and it has been a great learning experience. I’ve learned a lot not just from my own teammates but also from other students from different countries across Asia,” enthused Yang Tao Zheng, team member of Nanyang E Drive for the NTU Venture 9. “Though we faced some difficulties on the track, we now know what to improve on and we’re confident we can be number 1 next year.”
“We are extremely proud of our student teams and their performance at SEM Asia this year,” said Mr Jason Leow, General Manager, Communications, Shell Singapore. “We hope their creativity inspires cutting-edge thinking from up and coming engineers, designers and inventors in Singapore to find game-changing ways to be more fuel-efficient.”
Significant strides in Singapore’s energy talent pool
Growing the pool of talented young engineers and scientists in Singapore will be essential in helping the nation and the rest of the region meet one of its biggest challenges: supplying enough energy to maintain economic prosperity while tackling potentially devastating climate change.
Through the ingenuity of the NTU student teams at SEM Asia this year, alongside the NTU Venture 9 is Singapore’s first urban solar electric car, – the NTU Venture 8 – which comes with an innovative 3D-printed body shell that has 150 parts.
Member of jury, Nicolas Bivero, Chief Representative and Executive Director, Uyeno Transtech Ltd. said, “At SEM Asia, students really need to be very creative with their designs to problem-solve the challenge of fuel efficiency. The level of innovation in the ultra-energy-efficient cars I have seen here is testament to the effort that students have dedicated year on year into their cars - it is quite impressive!"
Several contestants from the previous Singapore student teams at SEM have gone on to work for Shell. In 2011, NTU student, Lim Weison, and his team won in the Prototype (Diesel) category. In 2012, they participated again and achieved first runner-up in the Prototype (Diesel) category. In July 2013, he joined Shell Jurong Island as a mechanical plant engineer. He continues to be involved from the sidelines, helping out as one of the 329 Shell staff volunteers at SEM Asia 2015.
| Category | School Name | Team Name |
Vehicle Name |
Fuel Type |
Best Mileage Attempt (km/kWh) |
On-Track Placing and/or Off-Track Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prototype | ITE | EcoTraveller | EcoTraveller | Battery Electric | 324km/kWh |
3rd place |
| Prototype | NTU | Nanyang E Drive | NTU Venture 9 | Battery Electric | 218km/kWh | 4th place, Technological Innovation & Safety awards |
| Urban Concept |
NTU | NTU Diesel Car Racing Team |
NTU Venture 8 |
Battery Electric |
Passed technical inspection |
Passed technical inspection |
For more information on all Shell Eco-marathon events across the globe, including official rules, instructions for registration and details on prizes, please visit the Shell Eco-marathon website at www.shell.com/ecomarathon.
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. Malaysia hosted Shell Eco-Marathon Asia until 2013. Since 2014, the event is being held in Manila, Philippines, which will continue to host the event until 2016.
Media Inquiries
Yasmin Hannah Ramle
Edelman for Shell Singapore
+65 6494 1571
Shalini V
Head/Publicity, ITE
Nur Amin Shah
Asst. Mgr, Corp Comms, NTU
[1] Energy types: gasoline, diesel, alternative gasoline (ethanol 100), alternative diesel (Shell Gas-to-Liquid or fatty acid methyl ester), battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell or Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
[2] Based on statistics by LTA
Appendix: Schools’ History in Shell Eco-marathon Asia
NTU
This is the fifth time NTU participated in Shell Eco-marathon. The first NTU Venture (NV) 1 solar car debuted in the marathon held in Germany on 7-9 May 2009, coming in fourth out of eight in the prototype solar category and winning the off-track award for safety.
The second time NTU participated was at the inaugural Shell Eco-marathon Asia in 2010 at Sepang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The NV3 clinched the top prize for the solar category and was the only one out of five solar cars to qualify.
In 2011, NTU clinched two awards at the second Shell Eco-marathon Asia with its new NV4, dubbed the “Batmobile”. It had won in the diesel category with 564 km per litre fuel efficiency and also won the off-track award for safety.
NTU continued its winning streak in 2012, when both the NV3 and NV4 both won silver in their respective categories of prototype battery electric and diesel. In addition, NV4 also beat 118 other international entries to win the off-track award for safety.
NTU also participated in the biennial World Solar Challenge in Australia where solar cars race down a gruelling route of 3,000 kilometres across the Australian outback. NV2 took part in the 2009 race and came in a respectable 11th out of 31 participating teams. In the 2011 race, NV5 emerged 12th out of 37 teams beating more established teams like those from MIT, UC Berkeley and Cambridge.
Last year, NTU emerged as the best performing university by clinching a total of four awards. Hand-built by students using wood, the diesel-powered NV6 – the “Wooden Wonder” – won three awards which include the off-track award for safety – marking NTU’s fourth time winning the award. NV3, 2010’s champion in the solar category, now converted to an electric-powered solar assisted car, clinched the Award of Technological Innovation.
ITE
ITE has been participating in Shell Eco-marathon since 2009. During ITE’s first participation, its Gasoline Prototype Car made its debut in the competition in Germany.
In 2010, ITE’s Diesel Prototype Car emerged as champions in the Diesel category. During ITE’s third time participating in the competition in 2011, the ITErbo 1 represented ITE in the competition. It came in third in the Urban Concept Electric (plug-in) category. It also won the Safety Award.
In 2012, ITE was represented by two cars. The ITErbo 2 maintained its third-place placing while the Eco Traveller made its debut in the Battery Electric Prototype category.
In 2013, the ITErbo 3 won the Design Award which is awarded to the team with innovative design research in terms of ergonomics, aesthetics, choice of materials and technical feasibility. The originality and overall coherence of the design are also taken into account. It also got fourth place for the Infographic Awards – a creative competition that encouraged the next generation of engineers and scientists to reflect on the wider context of the future of energy. Meanwhile, the EcoTraveller emerged eighth out of 24 cars in the Battery Electric Prototype category.
During its fifth time participating in the competition in 2014, ITE’s ITErbo emerged as champions in its category at SEM Asia in Manila. The EcoTraveller also performed better than the previous year, clocking a mileage of 217km/kWh and emerging fifth out of 24 teams in the competition.