Student teams from Qatar University and Texas A&M University Qatar at GIMS.
Doha, Qatar: Amongst the glamorous vehicles featured at the recent Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) Qatar , two student teams from Qatar University and Texas A&M University Qatar took centre stage to talk about their experiences in designing and building their very own ultra-efficient cars.
In front of an excited and attentive audience, the teams shared their story of participating in an engineering programme known as the Shell Eco-marathon.
The Shell Eco-marathon is a global academic programme which tests student teams to design and manufacture energy-efficient vehicles that can travel the farthest with the least amount of fuel.
The vehicles are small – snuggly fitting only one passenger – lightweight and have futuristic designs like nothing you’d ever see on the road. Each vehicle incorporates innovative concepts, such as aerodynamic bodies and stop-start functionality, to reduce fuel consumption. The world record for the furthest distance on one litre of fuel reached over an impressive 3,500 kilometres.
At the Asia-Pacific & Middle East regional championship in Indonesia this year, the all-female team from Qatar University built an electric car and the team from Texas A&M built a combustion-engine car running on diesel. They both competed against over 50 other university teams from the region. While they didn’t make the podium, both teams placed well in an extremely competitive field.
Tala Zaim – a student from Qatar University – spoke about her motivation for participating in the event: “What motivated us to compete in the Shell Eco-marathon is that we wanted to apply what we have learnt theoretically in university in a real-life model. One of our instructors proposed that we are the best fit for this competition since electrical vehicles play a significant role in mechatronics engineering. We wanted to use this as an opportunity to gain more experience and knowledge.”
Talking about his experience in building the car, Abdulla Ibrahim from Texas A&M Qatar said: “The car’s design is based on the timeless beauty of 1920s classic cars. The car’s body is made from fibreglass and the chassis is made of lightweight aluminium. These materials combine structural robustness with lightweight performance. The main idea of the Shell Eco-marathon is to optimise fuel efficiency and these materials support that aim.”
The Shell Eco-marathon is a global academic programme focused on energy optimisation and is one of the world’s leading student engineering competitions. It aims to push the boundaries of what is technically possible and inspire young people to become leading scientists and engineers of future energy solutions.
The programme provides a platform for teams to explore every aspect of design and technology, using their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) skills to build their own ultra-energy-efficient cars, and then take them out on the track in competition.
