What image comes to mind when you think of a car race? Perhaps fast and furious steeds or gasoline guzzling engines steered by daredevil drivers?
At the Shell Eco-Marathon, an annual competition, cars that join the race look outlandish, rather like toys or cartoon characters. Drivers are students from automotive engineering colleges, the young mechanics geeks who get their thrills from actually fixing cars and tuning machines, not driving them.
The competition originated accidentally 80 years ago by a bet among engine researchers at Royal Dutch Shell’s laboratory in Ohio, the US. The goal is not speed, but to promote the research and development of better engines in various aspects, such as design, environmental friendliness and low energy consumption. Shell turned the internal activity into an international eco-car competition three decades ago in Europe and it became a stage for young engineering students to try out their vision for car engines for the future.
The company introduced the Shell Eco-Marathon in Asia in 2010. Next month, the event will take place in Manila, with the theme being “Urban Concept Car”, in response to predictions that most of the world’s population will soon be living in cities.
Thai participants have joined the race since 2010 and have won top awards for five years consecutively, according to Asda Harinsuit, chair of Shell Thailand.
“This year, we believe the Thai teams will have a chance of winning top prizes again. [After the competition in Manila] winners from the regional competition will be sponsored by the company to compete in the international event in London this July.”
The Thai teams are R-Tech Eco Racing from Rattanakosin Technical College, Luk Jao Mae Khlong Prapa from Dhurakij Pundit University and the team from Don Muang Technical College.
The making of the prototype cars involved legwork, wit and mechanical manipulation.
Students scouted Xieng Koeng — a hub of second-hand engine parts in the Sam Yan area — to find materials, or they ordered parts from online retailers. Most cars are made of light carbon fibre, with small 100hp engine, the motorcycle size. Each prototype car costs around 200,000 baht and takes around six months to complete. In general, each car weighs around 70kg.
“We create the shape of the carbon fibre ourselves. Sometimes we even improvise with stainless steel that we’ve found and weld them into parts,” said Sutthikiet Rompho, a student from Ratanakosin Technical College. The team uses a motorcycle engine and battery for its car, which can go as far as 76.9km with 1 litre of benzene oil.
Yutana Chongjarearn, a lecturer on electrical engineering at Dhurakij Pundit University, said the competition is not only for the benefit of environmental protection. “It also helps improve the level of education and research development for vocational school students.
“The best part of this competition is the making and designing of cars, which actually requires that students think and invent — not just fix — things. They will learn to write programs for the Electronic Control Unit chip which serves as the nerve and brain for the car. So this competition actually helps develop our manpower in automotive engineering. Apart from learning about being environmentally-friendly, these kids will also learn to be inventors, not just car assemblers or repair men,” said Yutana.
Prototype urban car from team Luk Jao Mae Khlong Prapa.
The #34 ATE.1, Gasoline Prototype, from Kong Thabbok Upatham Changkol Kho So Tho Bo School of Thailand, at the Shell Eco-Marathon in Kuala Lumpur in 2012.
Students from Don Muang Technical College have created a city car that can do 76.9kpl.
