Today at the historic Luneta Park in Manila, Asia’s most fuel-efficient vehicles built by students were flagged off, signalling the official start of Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2015. The annual competition challenges the region’s aspiring young engineers to build vehicles of the future that can go the farthest on the least amount of energy. It brings together current and future leaders, along with a broader public and encourages debate around sustainable solutions to the challenge of rising global energy demand.

As the Shell Eco-marathon enters its 30th year globally, the sixth Asian edition of the student innovation competition welcomes new entrants from Australia, Bangladesh, Oman and Saudi Arabia for the first time in its history. A public festival celebrating innovative thinking and future mobility, Shell Eco-marathon will be held for the second time at a specially designed street circuit in Manila.

“Shell Eco-marathon is a crucible of innovation. A place where good ideas on energy efficiency and smart design can get their first real-world trials. Maybe one of these students will go on to design the car of the future,” said Shell’s Chief Human Resources and Corporate Officer Hugh Mitchell, as he led the flag-off ceremony.

A future generation of engineers and scientists, totalling 127 student teams from 17 countries all across Asia, the Middle East and Australia are competing at Shell Eco-marathon Asia until March 1, when the final results will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Manila Hotel.

Student teams will participate in either the Prototype or UrbanConcept vehicle categories of the competition and in any of the following energy types: gasoline, diesel, alternative gasoline (ethanol 100), alternative diesel (Shell Gas-to-Liquid or fatty acid methyl ester), battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell or Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), a new energy type introduced for the 2015 competition. Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2015 will see three teams using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a source of energy for their vehicles.

Shell Fan Zone unveiled

A new attraction at this year’s Shell Eco-marathon is the Shell Fan Zone where visitors can get close to the track, learn more about the energy challenge, grab a bite to eat and possibly meet celebrity drivers and personalities.

Visitors also have a chance to view educational exhibits that explore what the world and cities might look like in the future.

At the Shell FuelSave Fact or Fiction Celebrity Driving Challenge this morning, Philippines’ Bianca Gonzalez was announced the winner after she recorded 57km/l on the Shell Eco-marathon track. For this challenge, celebrities from the region drove the Shell Urban Concept Car, a fuel-economy vehicle of the future that resembles today’s road cars. Visitors also witnessed an interactive mythbusting demonstration at the Shell Fan Zone.

Shell Eco-marathon 2015 shows Shell’s commitment to helping the world meet its growing energy needs in a responsible way, bringing together students, partners and the public. It is held in partnership with the Philippine Government Department of Tourism and the City of Manila. Its Global Partners include HP (Official Global Information Technology (IT) Partner), Michelin (Official Global Paddock Partner and Tyre Supplier), The Linde Group (Official Global Paddock Partner) and Southwest Research Institute (Official Global Paddock Partner). Local private sector partners are Unilever Philippines, Solane, Coca-Cola, Globe and Hyundai.

For more information on all Shell Eco-marathon events across the globe, including official rules, instructions for registration and details on prizes, please visit the Shell Eco-marathon website at www.shell.com/ecomarathon.

To access event images, please visit the following URL: https://www.flickr.com/photos/shell_eco-marathon/​

 

Full list of participating teams as of 26 February 2015

No. Country/Territory No. of Teams
1 Australia 2
2 Bangladesh 1
3 Brunei Darussalam 4
4 Egypt 4
5 India 11
6 Indonesia 23
7 Japan 1
8 Malaysia 14
9 Oman 3
10 Pakistan 6
11 Philippines 29
12 Qatar 2
13 Saudi Arabia 2
14 Singapore 3
15 Thailand 10
16 United Arab Emirates 3
17 Vietnam 9
- Total 127

About Shell Eco-marathon

Shell Eco-marathon began in 1939 at a Shell research laboratory in the United States as a friendly wager between scientists to see who could get the most miles per gallon from their vehicle. The winner of that contest barely achieved 50 mpg (21 km/l), and from these humble origins, a more organized competition evolved. In 1985 in France, Shell Eco-marathon as we know it today was born. In April 2007, the Shell Eco-marathon Americas event was launched in the United States, and in 2010, the inaugural Shell Eco-marathon Asia was held in Malaysia. Malaysia hosted Shell Eco-Marathon Asia until 2013. Since 2014, the event is being held in Manila, Philippines, which will continue to host the event until 2016.

INQUIRIES:

Shell Asia-Pacific Media Relations

Media-AP@shell.com