8 May 2008

NUS rolls out Singapore's first eco-friendly car

SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY: The NUS team with their futuristic eco-friendly car NUS-ECO1.

A group of NUS students has rolled out Singapore's first eco-friendly city concept car, paving the way for sustainable mobility. Running on Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) fuel which burns cleaner than conventional fuel, the futuristic four-wheeled single-seater NUS-ECO1 is able to cover 100km with one litre of fuel, and reach up to top speed of 45km/h. It can be easily modified to become a road-going car, for instance, by increasing the fuel capacity and seating room. The new car was launched by Mr Lee Yuen Hee, Chief Executive Officer, National Environment Agency (7 May) at NUS.

The team will be Southeast Asia's only representative, competing against 53 teams from 15 countries at the eco-car at the Shell Eco-marathon Europe 2008 competition in France from May 22 to 24. The cars will be judged on how fuel-efficient they are. The NUS eco-car will also the first and only car to use the GTL fuel in the competition.

The NUS eco-car was built over the last 10 months by six final-year Mechanical Engineering students – Ridhuan Mukthar, Yeo Yicong, Shang Jia Shun, Ng Chee Keong, Chong Kai Siong and Chen Xianxi.  Staff designers from the NUS Design Incubation Centre at the School of Design and Environment provided the aesthetic inputs. They were led by faculty members from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Assoc Prof Lu Wen Feng and Assoc Prof Ian Gibson.

The designing and building of eco-car is part of the Automotive Engineering Specialisation in the Mechanical Engineering programme.  NUS is the only educational institution in Singapore that offers the specialisation at university level.