Shell announces Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2016

Shell has announced the opening of registration for Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) Asia 2016. The annual competition challenges aspiring young engineers to build vehicles of the future that can go the farthest on the least amount of energy. It brings together current and future leaders, along with a broader public, and encourages debate around sustainable solutions to the challenge of rising global energy demand. The registrations for the competition were initiated on July 1 and will be closed on July 22, 2015.

As Shell Eco-marathon enters its seventh Asian edition, Shell India has invited engineering colleges across the country to participate in the student innovation competition. A public festival celebrating innovative thinking and future mobility, Shell Eco-marathon will be held at Manila, Philippines between March 3–6, 2016.

Commenting on commencement of the competition, Dr. Yasmine Hilton, Chairman, Shell Companies in India said, “Shell Eco-marathon is where good ideas on energy efficiency and smart design can get their first real-world trials. It provides a platform for budding engineers and scientists to build and test their concepts for smarter and greener mobility. I would encourage the talented youth of India to participate in what I am sure will be a great experience."

India has been participating at SEM since 2012 with the entries improving each year. During SEM Asia 2014, Eco Warriors, a team from Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai (MIT Chennai) won the 'Perseverance and Team Spirit Award’ for their hard work and determination. At SEM Asia 2015, a team from Thailand clocked the highest mileage of the competition with 1,572 km on a litre of ethanol – the approximate equivalent distance between New Delhi to Hyderabad.

The selection process for SEM Asia includes three distinct phases. At each stage students are challenged to push their ideas to the limit and showcase the ingenuity of their design and ideas. 

The competing vehicle entries will be put to the final test in a specially designed street circuit at the Luneta Park located at the heart of Manila in the Philippines.

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 organised competition evolved where the winning entry in Manila drove 2,730 km on a litre of Ethanol in 2014, the highest mileage achieved in SEM Asia so far. Shell Eco-marathon as we know it today was born in 1985 in France.

In April 2007, Shell Eco-marathon America 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. In 2014, the event is being held in Manila, Philippines, which will continue to host the event until 2016. Teams from India have been participating in the event since 2010.

Source: Shell