PH Team Returns to Shell Eco-Marathon Regional Leg Track After 4 Years

MANILA: After four years of persistent effort, the Philippines finally made an advancement at the Shell Eco-marathon Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

The University of Perpetual Help System Dalta (UPHSD)'s ALTAS Valor was able to pass the rigorous technical inspection and get on the track. It took numerous attempts to pass the inspections and with help and support from participants from other countries.

76 teams from 13 countries participated in this year's Shell Eco-marathon Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

“It is extremely impressive to see the high standard of performance and the innovative ideas that these young minds come up with. Despite encountering numerous challenges throughout the competition, they persevered and achieved exceptional results in designing energy-efficient vehicles,” Shell Eco-marathon Global General Manager Norman Koch stated.

All participating vehicles undergo a series of inspection phases as part of the Shell Eco-marathon's mission to foster safe and environmentally friendly mobility.

The Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Hygears missed out on the opportunity to hit the track this year due to some technical issues, but they are already committed to return next year.

Fortunately, UPHSD's ALTAS Valor was able to immediately fix the issues they discovered as soon as their vehicle was delivered on July 4. The mechanical engineering team composed of Jacob Moises Torres, Emelito Jr. Montano, Mark Angelo Jacinto, Reiven Christian Pagtakhan, and Evan Anthony Gindoy worked relentlessly for three days to resolve these issues.

They encountered a brake system issue in the last hour of the scheduled Technical Inspection, but with assistance from another team, Kazakhstan's S.U. Racing Team, they were able to fix the brakes and get ready to race.

“We were in the same situation before, so we know how difficult it is to find parts for your cars. Some teams helped us before and when we can help, we try to help other teams with their challenges because we think that teams should never give up,” S.U. Racing Team Manager Alibek Ibraim said.

Torres expressed his gratitude to the other teams for their assistance. “Even if we are competitors, they willingly helped us to pass the technical inspection,” he said.

All three of the Urban Concept category winners are from Indonesia. For the first time, the Indonesian student team Semar Urban UGM took home the top prize in the hydrogen fuel cell category.

In the Prototype category, the teams from Thailand, South Korea, and Indonesia were awarded for their exemplary energy efficiency designs.

Four teams in the Urban Concept category from Singapore and Indonesia qualified for the World Championship that will be held in India from October 10 to 12.

Photos from Shell Philippines

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