THE UST Eco-Tigers are all set for the 2016 Shell Eco-Marathon Asia with improved vehicles to boost the University’s ranking.
After a year of designing and fabricating their entries, the Eco-Tigers, a team composed of engineering students, will parade their official entries “T400D” and “T400E” for the prototype and urban concept categories.
“We are more prepared this year and our aim is to top the competition. We are 100-percent confident that we can beat our previous record,” prototype team manager John Raymond Cornes said in an interview.
Last year, UST topped all Philippine teams and placed fifth in Asia in the gasoline prototype category, with a total distance of 172.27 kilometers per liter. The urban concept entry of UST however failed to qualify for the competition.
The prototype category is for three-wheeled vehicles designed for maximum fuel efficiency, while the urban concept category is for four-wheeled and conventionally designed vehicles.
Cornes said the major changes in the prototype included upgrades in the energy storage released by the vehicle, and “freewheeling” or the ability of the vehicle to glide even when the engine has already shut down.
Urban concept team manager Joven Talape said the improved vehicle would have lesser drag than the previous model. The body is made up of a lighter material called carbon fiber, molded into a shape that improves air flow and reduces weight.
Fifth-year mechanical engineering students Talape and Cornes are joined by Royce Leong, Kevin Uri Diaz, Adrian Alemania, Dannie Baluyot, John Paul Diongco, Jerome Richard Inson, Mia Jane Reyes, Jason Faustino, Karl Enano, Hazel Sigua, Eli de Arroz, Meg Celine Cruz, Joseph Ignacio and Lance Pia Roda, along with electrical engineering students Jason Faustino and Karl Enano. The team advisers are engineering professors Jeffrey Mercado, Rogelio Almira and Raymundo Melegrito.
For 2016, the Shell Eco-Marathon will have the first-ever “world cup” competition for the urban concept category. Ten urban concept vehicles in Asia will be chosen to compete against 10 winners from Shell Eco-Marathon Europe and the United States.
The UST team will compete on March 3 to 6 next year at Rizal Park to make a new record in the diesel prototype category by reaching its target mileage of 1,000 kilometers per liter.
Other participating schools include Mapua Institute of Technology, De La Salle University, Adamson University and Technological University of the Philippines.
Shell Eco-Marathon is sponsored by Dutch oil company Shell, challenging “student teams from around the world to design, build and drive the most energy-efficient car” by consuming the least amount of fuel. Kathryn Jedi V. Baylon
