4 May 2007

Southeast Asia's first eco-car to compete in Shell Eco-Marathon

ECO-CAR'S FRIENDS: Engineering alumni act as advisors to the eco-car team. From left: Mr Peter Ho, Mr Michael Leong (both founded Hope Technik); Mr Jeffrey Tang, Research Engineer with NUS; and Mr Ng Kiang Loong, Project Engineer with Defence Science and Technology Agency. At the wheel is Mr Yeo Yicong, 3rd-year Mechanical Engineering student.

HOPE07 will be riding at the renowned Shell Eco-Marathon to be held at the Nogaro Racing Circuit in France (11-13 May). Powered by Shell, the car was developed by an NUS team led by Assoc Prof Lu Wen Feng, Department of Mechanical Engineering, with HOPE Technik (an engineering solutions provider established by two NUS Mechanical Engineering alumni) and DSO National Laboratories. It is Southeast Asia's first eco-car to compete in the competition.

In such a competition, speed is not a prime factor. What counts is the distance covered with limited fuel. Said Mr Lee Tzu Yang, member of the NUS Board of Trustees and Chairman of Shell Companies in Singapore: "The Shell Eco-Marathon encourages future engineers and scientists to seek sustainable energy solutions, and their source of fuel for transport is limited by the participants' imagination. The Shell Eco-Marathon symbolises our commitment to supporting technology and innovation and to encouraging young people to develop their talents. This links to our responsibility as an energy company — to work to reduce the impact of energy consumption on the environment and to help meet the world's growing demand for energy and mobility in secure and sustainable ways."

AERODYNAMIC: Team leader Muhammad Ridhuan explaining the highlights of the eco car at a media briefing.

Co-founder of Hope Technik, Mr Peter Ho, described the challenge as being given "seven drops of petrol for the car to travel to Kuala Lumpur". In developing the car, the team has to do what he referred to as "knife-edging" — literally sharpening and smoothing everything possible — to promote aerodynamics. This explained why the two front wheels are hooded with an extremely sleek and wind-cutting cover to reduce drag, while the third wheel is almost encased in the "backfin" of the car. The car is also extremely light, weighing only 30kg.

Mr Ho also stressed the importance of the choice of fuel. "When the engine gets very hot, the fuel will explode by itself. A fuel with low-octane rating is undesirable as it means that there is a high tendency for the fuel to auto-ignite," he explained.

It is a great learning experience just to be able to take part in the Shell Eco-Marathon, and winning is a bonus, said the team. The design and building of the eco-car is part of the Automotive Engineering Specialisation in the Mechanical Engineering Programme. NUS is the only institution in Singapore offering this course.