Forget fast and furious; Manila car tilt all about saving fuel

NO GAS-GUZZLERS ALLOWED Cars designed by students from 15 countries assemble on Roxas Boulevard near Rizal Park in Manila on Friday for the Shell Eco-Marathon, an international competition rewarding the most fuel-efficient vehicles. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines –Their shapes and designs are either straight from the future or from one’s wild fantasy, but all of them are after one title: The Most Fuel-Efficient.

Manila on Friday hosted an international student competition for the most energy-saving concept vehicle, drawing participants from 15 countries and closing a stretch of Roxas Boulevard for the first Philippine staging of the annual Shell Eco-Marathon (SEM).

The hometown favorites included entries from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (Manila), Technological Institute of the Philippines (Quezon City and Manila), Mapua Institute of Technology, De La Salle University, Adamson University, Don Bosco Technical College Mandaluyong City), University of San Carlos, and University of Santo Tomas.

Lightweight and aerodynamic, vehicles designed and assembled by 109 engineering students mostly from Asia and the Middle East hit the road for the competition, which ends with the awarding rites on Sunday. Victory goes to the vehicle that covers the longest distance using a given amount of fuel.

During the flag-off ceremony at Rizal Park, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada lauded SEM for being the city’s latest tourism draw.

Shell chief financial officer Simon Henry noted that “every year, the students amaze the judges with their passion, creativity and ingenuity as they push the boundaries of fuel efficiency and energy conservation.”

Other competing teams come from Brunei Darussalam, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. Maricar Brizuela