ISLAMABAD: Teams of students participating in the Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2019 were hosted at a send-off event before they leave for the annual competition in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia.
Students from all over the world will compete in the marathon using energy efficient vehicles they have designed and built. Tuesday’s event was held to showcase the innovative vehicles Pakistani students will be taking to the marathon next month.
More than 100 student teams from 21 countries from across Asia and the Middle East will participate in the marathon, during which they will drive their own vehicles on a track to see who can travel the farthest using the least energy. The winning team will compete at a global level.
This year, 10 teams from eight universities will be representing Pakistan.
Six are from north Pakistan – they include Mech the Tech from Air University, Team Urban and Hammer Head from the Ghulam Ishaq Khan (GIK) Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, NUSTAG and NUST Eco-motive from the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) and the Eco-motive team from the Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
The teams spoke about their journey, creating their teams, qualifying in the initial selection round and innovating and building their vehicles with guidance from mentors.
The event showcased three cars from the universities that have cleared the inspection for shipping to the regional competition in Kuala Lumpur.
Second year Mechanical Engineering GIK student Roshan Rehman explained that a tilting mechanism allows their battery-powered vehicle to make sharp turns without losing speed, helping cover large distances without losing as much energy.
Usama Sabir from Air University’s Megatronics department said his team spent half a million rupees building the prototype for their eco-friendly battery-powered car.
Neeraj Nankani’s team from Nust developed a teardrop shaped prototype fitted with a 50cc combustion engine that gives more than 100 kilometres a litre.
The team leader from Nust’s College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Ahad Amjad, said they burned filed and tuned the car’s EFI system to enhance fuel efficiency.
Shell Pakistan External Relations Manager Habib Haider said at the event that Pakistan will compete in the internal combustions category. He explained that the cars had passed technical rounds and completed a certain number of kilometres on a track before entering the competition.
“The biggest opportunity for students is to learn what others are doing. Under a big roof, Pakistani students will have a stall besides teams from other countries and can interact with them to see what other technologies are available,” he added.
The organisers said local industry has not picked up ideas and designs developed by Pakistani students yet, adding that universities need more money and support and need to look towards research.
Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2019
