11 Indian teams compete in Shell Eco-marathon in Manila

11 teams from 9 Indian engineering college competed in Shell Eco Marathon in Manila, Philippines between February 27 and March 1.

A total of 130 vehicles designed and developed by college students from 17 different countries were entered in the sixth edition of the event. The vehicles were put to a stern test on a specially designed circuit in the capital city of Philippines.

The competition is divided into two categories - Prototype and Urban Concept. As the name suggests, the former is about cars of the future with the focus on maximising fuel efficiency through innovative design elements, such as drag reduction. Those competing in Urban Concept category will have to design cars that are closer to higher-mileage cars seen on roads today.

In both the categories, teams get to choose between a string of fuel types, including petrol, diesel, ethanol, fatty acid methyl ester, electric power, hydrogen and CNG.

The team which achieves the highest mileage on a litre of fuel in each category goes home with $2000 in hand. The runners up is awarded $1000, with 22 further on-track and four off-track awards to ensure no one returns empty handed. The six off-track awards are as follows: Communications, Vehicle Design, Technical Innovation, Safety, Perseverance, Spirit of the Event, and Shell Helix Tribology.