Energy efficient vehicles made in Qatar to take part in Shell Eco-Marathon

Student teams from Qatar University and Texas A&M University at Qatar unveiled today their ultra energy efficient vehicles that will take part in the Shell Eco-Marathon, an energy efficiency competition to be held in Kuala Lumpur in July.

Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) is one of the world’s most innovative and challenging student competitions held annually in Europe, America and Asia where university student teams from around the world are challenged to design, build and compete with energy efficient vehicles. The winner is the team that goes the furthest distance using the least amount of energy.

“We are very pleased to see student teams from Qatar participating in Shell Eco-Marathon for the second time. I have been impressed by the level of detailed preparations and innovative thinking that students have demonstrated in the design and assembly of their vehicles. This competition will equip these future engineers with hands-on engineering skills as well as project management skills as they work on designing and building these vehicles,” said Wael Sawan, Qatar Shell’s Executive Vice President.

In 2011, Shell has partnered with Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) to enable university students in Qatar to participate in this event. QSTP is committed to provide financial support to the teams from Qatar by matching the amounts they have managed to raise independently. This year, three teams will represent Qatar – two from Qatar University and one from Texas A & M University at Qatar.

“We are proud to support the SEM teams from Qatar and to see the innovation and technology exhibited in the design of the vehicles this year. We are confident that SEM will influence younger generations to think about sustainable mobility and that it will contribute to the achievement of Qatar National Vision 2030 by developing local talent and addressing the challenges of a sustainable energy future. We wish the students all the best as they head for the competition and we hope that we will have even more teams representing Qatar next year,” said Dr. Tidu Maini, Executive Chairman and Science & Technology Advisor for QSTP.

The teams will be heading to the Shell Eco-marathon Asia that will be held from July 4 to 7 at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur. The most fuel-efficient car ever designed by a Shell Eco-marathon student team was capable of driving 4,896.1 kilometers on a single liter of fuel – the equivalent of driving from Qatar to Paris.

“We are pleased that our students have the opportunity to take part in this regional event that will enable them to enjoy first-hand experiences in an engineering environment as well as acquiring personal competences that they will need in the working world,” said Dr. Hassan Al Derham, Vice President for Research, Qatar University. “It is vital for students to see how their technical studies translate to tangible projects that can make a difference.”

“We are proud of our students’ accomplishment in developing this car. The benefits of this experience extend far beyond the competition itself, as the students have improved their technical abilities whilst learning the professional skills needed to participate successfully on an engineering team,” said Dr. Hamid Parsaei, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Texas A&M University at Qatar. “Qatar Shell and QSTP’s generous support has opened an exciting door for these students in their experience as young engineers, and we are grateful to both companies for their support.”

(click here to view Talking Points for Wael Sawan)

 

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