Energy-efficient cars built by Nigerian university
students have won laurels at the just
concluded Shell Eco Marathon in South Africa.
Shell Eco-marathon South Africa came to
Johannesburg with the ultimate-energy-
efficiency challenge. Hosted by the School of
Electrical Engineering from the University of
Johannesburg, the competition brought
together over 100 young engineers from South
Africa and Nigeria.
Shell Eco-marathon challenges student teams
from around the world to design, build and
test ultra energy-efficient vehicles. With
annual events first in the Americas, then
Europe and Asia, the winners are the teams
that go the furthest using the least amount
of energy. The events spark debate about
future of mobility and inspire young engineers
to push the boundaries of fuel efficiency.
Out of the six awards given out at the
event, Team Nigeria got two. Students from
Federal University of Petroleum Resources
(FUPRE), Effurun, Delta State won the two
awards, making them the team with the
highest number of awards.
Their car raised for 52.9 kilometers on a
little of fuel, wining the first position in
the prototype vehicle under the gasoline fuel
type category.
The team also won an saward for developing
the most innovative anti-theft device to
secure their vehicle. The team from the
University of Lagos came fifth in battery
electric prototype vehicle category.
This initiative seeks to inspire young people
around the world to develop new approaches
and energy-efficient solutions to the future
of mobility.
Chairman of Shell South Africa, Bonang Mohale,
noted: “We are pleased to work closely with
the University of Johannesburg’s School of
Electrical Engineering in inspiring the next
generation of engineers and in stimulating
interest around energy efficiency. We believe
that educating young people about the
importance of energy is critical to achieving
energy security, particularly now when the
world has an increased demand for energy.”
This year, 20 participating teams from
different high schools and universities in South
Africa and within the African continent
registered for the competition. The teams are
classified under two vehicle categories, that
is, Prototype and UrbanConcept. The Prototype
category is to be powered by battery electric
or gasoline (unleaded petrol). The UrbanConcept
cars are powered by gasoline (unleaded petrol)
or diesel.
The winning teams designed cars that drive
the equivalent of the longest distance using
the least amount of energy in their chosen
category.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/10/in-south-africa-team-nigeria-wins-awards-with-varsity-made-cars/