NTU makes an impressive debut at the Shell Eco-marathon Europe with a solar-powered car designed and built entirely by its engineering students.

NTU's debut at the Shell Eco-marathon Europe 2009 involved an 11-member contingent and a solar-powered vehicle, named Nanyang Venture I, which outshone the competition. The prototype was the culmination of five months of hard work by 25 students from NTU's School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (MAE) and School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, led by Assoc Prof Ng Heong Wah from MAE's Division of Engineering Mechanics.

Held at EuroSpeedway Lausitz racing circuit in Germany, the Shell Eco-marathon Europe attracted 199 teams from 29 countries, all vying to showcase an energy-efficient car with the best mileage. Eight of the 25 student inventors, led by Assoc Prof Ng, made it to Germany for the race day.

Competing in the Prototype (Solar) Category, NTU's three-wheeler measuring 3.5 m by 1.3 m by 0.9m, was powered by a 4.5 sq m panel of silicon photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight into energy. To the delight of the students, Nanyang Venture I was able to achieve 103km per kWh of energy, producing more energy than it used.

"Remarkable achievement"
Nanyang Venture I outpaced the competition to turn in the best results among the Singapore entries on the first day of the two-day race on 8 May, eventually finishing fourth in the category. The jury described the team's win as a "remarkable achievement" for a first-time competitor, adding it was impressed with the car's safety features – a system that protects the driver in the event of frontal impact, a cooling feature that prevents overheating of the battery and the driver's compartment, and automatic emergency battery shutdown. Such protective mechanisms, in fact, helped the NTU team clinch second place in the Safety Award category, which attracted 28 contending teams.

Into its 25th year, the Shell Eco-marathon is an energy-economy competition held in a real motor racing circuit. The largest energy efficiency competition of its kind in Europe, it encourages young designers and engineers to design and build vehicles that can travel the furthest on the least amount of fuel. Teams enter futuristic prototypes – streamlined vehicles where the only design consideration is reducing drag and maximising efficiency. The event is also a global forum for current and future leaders who are passionate about finding sustainable solutions to the world's energy challenges.

© Corporate Communications Office