Fervent Frugality: 2019 Shell Eco-marathon India Comes To A Close

Shell India’s second edition of Eco-marathon under its ‘Make The Future’ initiative came to an end and how. Unlike the previous edition when it was all too new for the participants, this year not only witnessed a rise in participants (from 20 to 24) but improvements in mileage numbers as well. After all, extracting that extra bit of fuel efficiency from every drop of fuel runs in the Indian blood, don’t you think? 

At least two out of three categories saw familiar names taking the top spot. Here they are: 

Before we proceed further, you ought to know what each car in a category looks like. The Urban Concept cars you see are similar to road-going cars in a compact body shell, with four wheels and at least seating for two in this competition. Resultantly, they have a bigger body shell, weight and an extra wheel to roll. 

The more focussed Prototype lives and breathes for fuel efficiency. Forget seating for two, these can hardly fit a driver taller than 6 feet or weighing more than 70kg. That said, this three-wheeled car(t)-like entity delivers the highest efficiency of the lot depending upon the fuel type chosen. 

Given the simplicity and ease of manufacturing, the entries in the prototype category were undoubtedly the highest, at 22 out of 24. Here’s a breakdown of the participants according to the body type of their car build and energy source being used for the same.

Now, the Eco-marathon is not just about completing a race and extracting the highest fuel economy like a stone-faced racer. Those with a good grasp of soft skills were also rewarded with other titles such as:

Communication Award: Team Infieon Supermileage took top honours in this space for its ‘impactful communication strategy’ in the competition. 

Safety Award: Team ETA was rewarded for a clear focus on following safety practices in paddocks as well as on the track. Not only did they meet their own safety benchmarks, but they also showed a concern for others on the track. 

Team Averera

Circular Economy: Winners in this category are rewarded for being kinder to the environment. Those who utilize recycled products for designing, assembling with plans that can reduce the carbon footprint in real life and commercial usage. Team E^2 adhered well to all these prerequisites and took this title home. 

Shell’s Eco-marathon has been in continuous existence since it started back in 1985. It has birthed many innovations over the years and is meant to bring forth the designers and engineers of the future to the forefront well before they venture out for a professional career. As they say, ‘Catch ‘em young.’