DLSU-D reaches its best record in 2018 Shell Eco-Marathon Asia
DLSU-D Stallions, the school’s eco car team, finished at 15th place among 26 competitors in the battery-electric prototype category for the region of Asia after making it as the only team from the Philippines to have a valid run in the same category in the 2018 Shell Eco-marathon Asia held at the Changi Exhibition Center, Singapore, from March 8 to 11.
The engineering student-comprised Stallions showcased their battery-electric prototype car Agimat, which was tested in the Mileage Challenge of the competition that determined which cars could go the farthest on the least amount of energy. In the said challenge, the competitors were tasked to comply with the 9-25 rule where the cars should run for 9 laps under 25 minutes. DLSU-D’s pride team finished the laps under 23 minutes, earning the team a spot in the leaderboard, as per Prototype Team Manager Chelsea Briones said.
“Overall, we had four attempts and placed 15th in Asia for the prototype category and the only university from the Philippines who could make it to the leaderboard,” Briones furthered.
Amid stiff competition, the prototype team manager shared how the team strategized and stayed as learners instead of being perfectionists during the competition, often socializing with other schools and taking breaks to be able to think properly and learn new things from the other teams.
One of the advantages the prototype team leader saw for Stallions was their use of softwares such as SolidWorks, MATLAB, and Simulink which provided the team with simulations, enabling them to immediately solve failures from the vehicle.
However, the Stallion’s advantage didn’t come easy as Agimat’s built, which was made of aluminum contributing to its weight of 74 kilograms, was no easy feat against universities using materials such as carbon-fiber, which is two times better and lighter, contributing to a faster vehicle speed according to Briones.
Despite failing to win the competition, it is the Stallions’ first time to pass technical inspection, be able to run on track, and meet the “9-25 rule” after three years of joining the eco-marathon.
“This improvement means so much to us since it helped boost our confidence and drive. Being that close to bringing home the trophy served as a reminder and motivation for us to not quit,” Briones said.
Under the prototype team of the DLSU-D Stallions headed by the Prototype Manager Briones are Assistant Manager Jeruz Madlangbayan, Driver and Head Designer Jonas Balajadia, Reserve Driver and Designer John Angelo Olayvar, Head Designer Paolo Miguel Naty, Designer John Martin Celorico and the Electrical team, Francis Genesth Lingatong, Edsel Aguilar, and Renzel Punongbayan. The team is overseen by advisers Engr. Wilfredo Vidal, Ferdinand Osorio, and Danilo Reyes.
Meanwhile, Huaqi-EV from Guangzhou College of South China University of Technology, China won in the battery-electric prototype category. Other Philippine teams also joined DLSU-D in the Philippine team such as the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, De La Salle University, among others.
The 2018 Shell Eco-marathon Asia is a competition which gathered over 120 students from 18 countries in Asia to build and compete energy-efficient cars.
