Curtin Sarawak team among seven Borneo teams participating in Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2012

Miri – 21 June, 2011 – Curtin Eco Racing Team (CERT) from Curtin University of Malaysia, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) will be among seven teams from Borneo pitting themselves against the best teams from around the Asian region to see which team has designed and built the most energy-efficient vehicle in the Shell Eco-marathon Asia from 4 to 7 July 2012.

CERT comprises mechanical engineering and chemical engineering undergraduate students Rishi Ravindran(manager), Teh Jia Ying, Qua Sok Yi, Aran Pasupathi, Dinesh Chandrasegar, Tamil Iniyan Balakrishnan and Thiagaraj Raman who are being supervised by senior lecturer in mechanical engineering Rajamohan Ganesan, a veteran of two Shell Eco-marathon events.

Over 100 student teams from 18 Asian countries will converge at Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur, for the 3-day event which offers a unique challenge – to see which team has built a vehicle that can travel farthest with the least amount of fuel.

The Asian record of 2,213 kilometres per litre of fuel is held by a Thai team, which was charted last year, while the world record of 3,771 kilometres per litre was achieved by the Microjoule car from St. Joseph La Joliverie, Nantes, France.

This year, the Asian challenge will see more representation from Borneo – seven compared to last year’s five. The teams are from five universities and institutes in Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei.

CERT will represent Sarawak at the event, while team 1UMS from University Malaysia Sabah will be Sabah’s representatives. Brunei, meanwhile, will be sending five teams – two from Pusat Latihan Mekanik, two from Sekolah Vokasional Sultan Bolkiah and a team from Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

The team from Curtin Sarawak will be competing in the Urban Concept category, having entered in the Prototype category for the last two years.

Besides the on track award, the competing teams are also vying for the off track awards. The winning team is selected by an independent panel of judges based on overall achievement in safety and technical performance, as well as marketing and communication competence demonstrated during the event.

A first-ever ‘Shell Eco-marathon Asia Showcase of Borneo Teams 2012’ event jointly organised by Sarawak Shell Berhad, Brunei Shell Petroleum and Curtin Sarawak was held at the university on 15 June 2012 to motivate and send off the teams from Borneo.

Professor Alistair Inglis, Curtin Sarawak’s Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor, was at the event to cheer the teams on together with Alison Goligher, Vice President of Production for Asia Pacific, Shell (Upstream).

In his welcoming speech, Professor Inglis said participating in the Shell Eco-marathon Asia has been a good learning experience for Curtin Sarawak’s students over the last two years as it encourages them to think innovatively and apply the concepts they learn in the classroom.

He said Curtin is fully committed to innovation, as evidenced in its R&D activities both at its main campus in Perth and in Miri, and the concepts of efficiency and sustainability promoted by the Shell Eco-marathon is very much in line with the university’s environmental programme.

“It is not a matter of winning, but rather being able to contribute new ideas and concepts that can help sustain the world’s resources. You have done an excellent job and come up with an impressive car which I hope will perform to your expectations,” he said of CERT’s participation in the Shell Eco-marathon.

Goligher, meanwhile, said the Shell Eco-marathon seeks to inspire young innovators and engineers from around the region to develop new approaches to sustainable mobility.

“The Shell Eco-marathon allows young people to focus on teamwork, competition and innovation, and also provides an ideal platform to show how Shell is facing the growing demand for energy worldwide head on, in a responsible way. What pleases me most is that it will encourage the new generation of engineers and scientists to think about the future of mobility,” she remarked.

She added that, by 2050, the global energy demand could triple and so could the number of cars. A variety of fuels and techniques will be needed to meet the growing demand for mobility while limiting CO2 emissions. In its efforts to be part of the solution, Shell has embarked on a Smarter Mobility programme and Shell Eco-marathon is an important part of the programme.

Goligher disclosed that 433 teams are competing in the Shell Eco-marathon worldwide – 113 in the Americas from 29 March to 1 April, 200 in Europe from 16 to 19 May, and 120 in Asia from 4 to 7 July.

Curtin Sarawak’s CERT with Rajamohan (in grey shirt) to represent Sarawak.

Alison Goligher (2nd left) handing over Sarawak flag to the Curtin team.

Curtin Sarawak’s entry in the ‘Urban Concept’ category.

Borneo teams at the Shell Eco-marathon Asia Showcase of Borneo Teams.

Shell Eco-marathon a great learning experience for students, says Prof. Alistair Inglis.

Event allows young people to focus on teamwork, competition and innovation, according to Alison Goligher.