HCM CITY — Seven teams of students from five universities in Việt Nam will participate at Shell Eco-Marathon Asia (SMEA) 2018 – Make the Future, which will take place at Changi Exhibition Centre in Singapore from March 8-11.

Organised for the second time in Singapore, the competition has attracted more than 100 teams from countries and territories in Asia and the Middle East this year.

The competition acts as a playground for students to test vehicles they have designed and built themselves.

To achieve their goals, the teams have to travel extraordinary distances using only one litre of fuel.

Participating in the competition, students are expected to understand the urgency of using renewable energy and natural gas and low-carbon technologies, among other new energy solutions.

The seven teams are: LH-GOLD ENERGY and LH-EST from Lạc Hồng University, AutoUTC and AutoUTC - Newway from Hà Nội-based University of Transport and Communication, CKD.CTA from HCM City University of Technology and Education, HaUI AUTO from Hà Nội University of Industry, and Hạt Đậu (Beans) from Đà Nẵng Polytechnic University.

Of the figure, four teams will take part in the prototype (gasoline) category and three teams in the UrbanConcept competition (gasoline, ethanol and electric battery category). Of these, two teams will use electric batteries in their designs for energy sources.

Trần Hồng Vân, general manager of Shell Vietnam, said: “I hope there will be bright ideas unlocking the potential of an entire region and we can work together to turn the potential into tangible solutions for Việt Nam, Asia and the world,” he said.

Since 2010, Việt Nam has had more than 40 teams competing at the Shell Eco-Marathon Asia.

“I’m really proud of the students’ achievements over the years. I hope that this is an opportunity for students to equip themselves with the knowledge and soft skills needed to advance in their future careers,” he said.

Last year at the SMEA 2017, Việt Nam’s team LH-EST from Lạc Hồng University based in Đồng Nai Province won the top prize in the UrbanConcept competition with a result of 107.8km per kWh.

In the Prototype category, team HaUI AUTO from the Hà Nội University of Industry won the fifth prize with a mileage of 783km per litre, followed by team CKD.FA from the HCM City University of Technology and Education with 766km per litre.

Started in 1939 in Europe, Shell Eco-Marathon (SME) is a global competition for students which challenge student teams around the world to design, build, test and drive ultra-energy-efficient vehicles.

Three SME competitions are held in Asia, the Americas and Europe throughout the year. — VNS