Vietnamese students will soon take part in the Shell Eco-marathon Asia for the tenth year, which is at the heart of Make the Future Live Malaysia, challenging bright young student minds to design and build ultra-energy-efficient cars and then take them out on to the track in competition.

This year’s event will see over 100 university and high school teams from 18 countries and territories across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East come together in a display of ultra-energy efficiency innovation.

Vietnam will again join Shell Eco-marathon Asia, with student teams from five universities showcasing cars they have designed and built themselves. The students will take to the track, competing to show which of the entries is the most energy-efficient. Student teams from three different regions in the country are expected to demonstrate their innovative ideas in two categories: Gasoline and Electric Battery.

The team from Lac Hong University is determined to continue its impressive series of achievements in the Urban Concept category - Electric Battery this year, as the university bagged the championship in this category in 2017 and 2018.

“After ten years of participating in the Shell Eco-marathon Asia, Vietnamese student teams have grown to be more confident, pushing the boundaries every year to gain remarkable achievements,” said Mr. Tran Hong Van, General Director of Shell Vietnam. “More importantly, they have become more aware of the challenges related to energy, transportation, and emissions reduction that are facing Vietnam and the rest of the world. This makes me believe that our future engineers will have solutions to address those major challenges and bring real value to society.”

Students will have to navigate the iconic Sepang International Circuit in the Shell Eco-marathon Mileage Challenge - a test to see whose car can go the farthest using the least amount of energy. Last year in Singapore, the winning team was efficient enough to travel 2,341 km - roughly the distance from Kuala Lumpur to Yangon in Myanmar - on just one liter of fuel!

“Make the Future Live Malaysia provides a platform for innovation, collaboration, and conservation towards a lower-carbon energy future, particularly in Asia, with its diversity, complexity, and varying energy challenges,” said Mr. Norman Koch, Make the Future Live’s General Manager. “The Sepang International Circuit provides a real track experience, making it a challenging and competitive track venue for the heart of the Make the Future Live events, the Shell Eco-marathon Asia.”

Teams will also be able to qualify for the Drivers’ World Championship - matching the proven energy efficiency of their vehicle, with the speed, skill and strategy of the driver in a race to cross the finish line first without running out of their tiny allocation of energy.

Make the Future Live is a global program bringing people and ideas into collaborative spaces, driving towards a lower-carbon energy future. Events hosted around the globe aim to provide an opportunity for multiple stakeholders, including students, entrepreneurs, businesses, governments and the public, to experience, test, and contribute bright energy ideas. VIR