Team Philippines unveils cars for Malaysia Shell Eco-Marathon

MANILA, Philippines - Palm trees and cosmopolitan hi-rise buildings served as backdrops for three student-made vehicles of blue, white, and black.

With exactly 30 days left before the first Shell Eco-Marathon in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, the expansive streets of Fort Bonifacio became a practice racetrack for Team Philippines as they unveiled their prototypes for the competition.

Team Philippines is composed of students from the country's top engineering schools: the Mapua Institute of Technology, the University of Santo Tomas, and the Don Bosco Technical College.

These schools were chosen by Shell Philippines for the first Asian edition of a marathon that has long been organized in Europe and the Americas. Currently, the highest record set in the competition was 3,777 kph for a liter of fuel.

"This is not about the race for speed. This is coming out with the longest distance with the least amount of fuel," Shell Philippines Chair Edgar Chua explained.

"Renewable energy is used to the maximum and this is our way of minimizing the impact of climate change and promote sustainable development," he added.

The students were given 7 months to create a vehicle that will run "the most miles with the least amount of fuel," the main mechanic of the marathon.

After a series of seminars provided by Shell Philippines on fuel efficiency, safety and the likes, the teams designed and made their own vehicles. The feat was lauded by Energy Secretary Jose Ibazeta, who graced the first public run.

"The youth is the only people we can look forward to," Ibazeta said. "It is good that the renewable energy laws are initiated in the micro level," he said. MORE...