In a one of a kind initiative, the multinational oil and gas company, Shell to sponsor a worldwide energy efficiency and sports competition, the Shell Eco-Marathon (SEM). This is the first time that Indian automobile enthusiasts have an opportunity to represent themselves on their home ground as the three day event will debut in India on December 6, 2018, in Chennai.
The competition will be a part of the company’s ‘make the future India’, an accelerator programme. According to their website, “The #makethefuture Accelerator India Programme aims to support anyone with a bright energy idea in action. The programme will help the businesses to build a strong value proposition and enable them to access funding to scale.”
Simply put, it is a competition where students are given a task to make the most energy efficient and resource-limited designs. Aimed specifically at engineering students, the competition has two categories – ‘Prototype’ and ‘UrbanConcept’. While ‘Prototype’ focuses mainly on energy efficiency, consumer comfort is compromised. ‘UrbanConcept’ on the other hand gives utmost importance to passenger comfort and more practical designs as compared to experimental and utopian prototype automobiles.
In the previous global editions, the team from IIT Bombay had developed an electric three-wheeler that managed an efficiency of 131.8Km/KWhr in 2017.
In 2016, a team from Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology, Bangalore, built a vehicle using a 100cc motorcycle engine that managed over 100 kpl efficiency rate. The students from BITS Pilani showcased their project, a car that ran on ethanol produced from garbage.
“For the first-timers, this would be a great platform to showcase their skill, be part of a world-class experience, and test drive their vehicles with fellow competitors on a professional circuit. Student teams that take to the track will be evaluated on the criteria of who goes the farthest on the least amount of fuel,” Shell said in a statement.
The registrations for the Shell Eco-Marathon will be accepted in two phases: Phase 1 – June 11 – August 28, 2018 and Phase 2 – September 3 – November 1, 2018.
Read the rules and register your team, here.
The platform, without a doubt, is a great way to boost the morale and confidence of the students and encourage them to widen their horizons.