MANILA, Philippines – Team Philippines is set to compete next month in a race that is about distance instead of speed at the inaugural Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) Asia in Malaysia.
The RP Team, represented by 3 groups from Don Bosco Technical College, Mapua Institute of Technology, and University of Santo Tomas (UST), will go against other Asian student teams at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Selangor.
The SEM is slated from July 8 to 10.
Several mechanical engineering students from Don Bosco, Mapua and UST designed and built their own energy-efficient vehicles for this different kind of race. The students will also drive their cars on the race track.

The 3 entries of Team Philippines (Mapua, UST and Don Bosco) to the Shell Eco-marathon Asia. Photo c/o Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation

The team vehicle which travels the farthest distance using the least amount of fuel will be declared the winning car.
In order to this, Jaime “Jimmy” Diago of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation (PSPC) said that the teams from Don Bosco, Mapua and UST must achieve optimum speed.
“Speed comes into play in fuel economy,” said Diago, who offered his services to be a technical volunteer for the SEM Philippine contingent.
He said that the vehicle’s speed should neither be too slow nor too fast. The minimum speed at the SEM is 30 kilometers per hour (kph).
He noted that efficiency suffers when the vehicle is too fast.
“When you increase speed, you have lesser time to burn fuel. When you increase the revolutions per minute (RPM), you have lesser time to combust fuel,” Diago told abs-cbnNEWS.com.
He also stated that a vehicle that is too slow would take much longer to finish the race. He also brought up the problem of idling—the lack of motion or energy.
Moreover, Diago noted other factors that would contribute to success at the SEM—the car’s engine, weight, design and aerodynamics.
The SEM entries will be using Shell’s 95 octane fuel. – Report by Ma. Rosanna Mina, abs-cbnNEWS.com