Team Atalanta of Mapua Institute of Technology (above) creates a fuel-efficient streamline three-wheel prototype vehicle (inset) that will compete at next year's Shell Eco-marathon Asia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission by gasoline-powered vehicles is one of the biggest contributors of greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere, a major factor in global warming. The bad news is that there are millions of gas-powered vehicles running in the world today.

Young engineers are thus faced with the challenge to develop fuel-efficient vehicles that may well be the future of transportation. Competitions like the Shell Eco-marathon (SEM), for one, challenge technical students’ creativity in designing and building energy-efficient vehicles that can travel the farthest distance on the least amount of fuel.

“It is Shell’s contribution in encouraging the creativity and passion of the youth to help meet the energy challenge,” says Roberto Kanapi, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation (PSPC) vice president for communications.

The Shell Eco-marathon is a platform for students to let their imaginations run wild. The concept is simple: design and build from scratch a vehicle that travels the farthest distance using the least amount of energy.

SEM started in Europe and has been running for 25 years now. It has grown to include more than 200 teams, thousands of spectators and widespread media attention.

In 2007, the event was brought to the Americas with much success. For the first time, Shell is bringing the competition to Asia.

The competition is open to high schools, colleges, universities and technical institutes. The teams will compete in two categories: Prototype, which futuristic, streamlined vehicles focused on maximizing fuel efficiency through innovative design elements; and Urban Concept which is focused on more roadworthy fuel-efficient vehicles.

Shell hopes that the activity will attract young Filipinos to take up technical course — graduates that the country badly needs.

“We’re losing our technical superiority and excellence. We hope that this event will inspire the youth to take technical courses and create a more diverse technical talent pool,” says Ed Chua, Shell companies in the Philippines (SciP) country chairman

THREE GREEN MACHINES
Shell Philippines will send three teams to represent the country in the first SEM Asia to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in July 2010.

These teams are from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), Mapua Institute of Technology, and Don Bosco Technological College (DBTC).

Each team will build its own vehicle entries and will be competing in the same Prototype category.

Teams may use any of the following fuels to power their vehicles: Conventional fuels such as diesel, gasoline and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) or alternative fuels such as fuel cells/hydrogen, bio-fuel, solar and gas-to-liquid.

Team Atalanta of Mapua, composed of graduating Mechanical Engineering students, is one of the more experienced teams among the three. Specializing in Engineering, MIT is not new to building new and technologically-advanced concept machines, although it’s the school’s first time to build such a concept car.

The team hopes that their technical know-how and experience would be enough to win them places in the competition.

“Yung adviser namin is one of the advisers of the Mapua robotics team, one member din po namin, member po ng robotics team. So meron silang first hand experience in building prototypes,” shares team leader Jericho Paolo Rivera, 4th year Mechanical Engineering student.

On the other hand, the UST Engineering Eco Marathon Team, also first time participant and builder of a concept, is confident that they can create a competitive vehicle.

“Lahat lang naisip na makakatulong, we incorporate it sa design so kahit first time, may nakagawa na before, siguro naman kaya din namin,” team leader Tim Mervin Orille shares.

Apart from being fuel efficient, their vehicle will also focus on safety. “‘Yung sa construction of the body, pipili kami nung pinaka magaang na materials pero hindi naming aalisin ‘yung safety para ‘pag may impact na nangyari, safe pa rin ‘yung driver,” Orille explains.

Team Girgio of DBTC banks on their careful planning and innovative design.

“Nag research kami at tinignan naming ‘yun ibang designs from previous competitions para may basis. Ang kailangan talaga, para maging fuel efficient siya para mamaximize ‘yung power nung engine at magaang ‘yung vehicle,” says team leader Mark Lester Arrieta.

As of the moment, the teams are still in the design process and have yet to unveil their vehicles, which they hope to finish early next year.

NEW BREED OF DRIVERS
Today’s drivers, especially the young ones, are more exposed to the realities of climate change, thus creating a new breed of drivers.

“When you’re driving wag masyadong pabigla-bigla ‘yung mga biglang harurot, biglang preno lahat ng mga factors na ‘yun contribute to energy and fuel inefficiency. Ngayon sobrang na expose na ako na kailangan maging matipid na tayo kasi sayang ‘yung energy,” Orille shares.

Young drivers like Orille hold a new perspective for the role of humans in protecting the environment and they might as well be the leaders in starting a new habit of healthy driving among Filipinos.

“Ang dapat gawin ng mga young drivers ay ang tamang paggamit ng sasakyan na well-maintained para less ‘yung fuel emissions. Dito magsisimula ang pagbabago, kahit sa simpleng pamamaraan lang, ” Arrieta ends.