Shell Eco-Marathon Instills Value of Cooperation Among Competitors

MANILA: Teams from the Philippines with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) backgrounds participated in the Shell Eco-marathon Asia and the Pacific 2023, which was more than just a race of environmentally friendly cars.

Students from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Manila (PUP) and the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA (UPHSD) were able to acquire first-hand understanding of the value of cooperation that transcends competition.

“Collaboration has always been a big topic in Shell Eco-marathon. While the teams are competitors on the track, they help each other with the materials and tools, and give a hand to those they can help, making the spirit of Shell Eco-marathon alive in the paddocks,” Shell Eco-marathon Global Manager Norman Koch stated.

The participants from the Philippines found a sense of camaraderie and purpose working together with other teams from other countries during the competition that was held in Lombok, Indonesia. The program taught them important lessons on problem-solving, communication, and teamwork.

“We always feel that this is not only a competition but a community as well. You will not be here just to compete and do things on your own. It’s a platform where you can learn from your teammates and even your competitors,” PUP Hygears Team Manager Nicole Rose Tugay said.

The Philippines’ ALTAS Valor and Kazakhstan’s S.U. Racing Team were also able to forge a cross-cultural collaboration when they worked together to fix the issue with the brake system of Avalon, the car used by UPHSD.

“We personally asked the team from Kazakhstan on how we can fix our brake system. They gave us the material that we needed and even volunteered to help us. They became our saving grace in passing the Technical Inspection,” ALTAS Valor Adviser Joebert Guzon stated.

“We did what a Kazakh would do. We are helpful people, so we know that helping all those teams is the right thing to do,” S.U. Racing Team Member Yerbol Amantay said.

“When joining Shell Eco-marathon, you will learn how to make energy-efficient vehicles. You will also find very interesting situations and interesting teams that will inspire you to make the vehicle of the future,” S.U. Racing Team Manager Alibek Ibraim stated.

Teams from Malaysia and Indonesia also provided assistance to ALTAS Valor.

The Shell Eco-marathon continues to encourage young innovators to work together, learn from one another, and move ahead to a brighter future as the world faces rising sustainability concerns.

“The vision of Shell Eco-marathon is to provide the young engineers of the future with a platform to test their ingenuity, their creativity, their collaboration, and come up with more innovative solutions for a more sustainable low carbon mobility of the future,” Koch added.

Photos from Shell Philippines

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