—100 teams to participate in mega event
The students of Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology are participating in the Shell Eco Marathon Asia, 2017.
It is a challenge for students across Asia to design, build and test vehicle that travels farthest on a litre of fuel. The vehicles are highly specialised and optimised for the event and are not intended for everyday use for now. The design represents what can be achieved with current technology and offers a glimpse into the future of car architecture based on minimal environmental impact in a world with reduced oil reserves.
Over 100 teams from around Asia will be taking part in this mega event, which will be held in Singapore from March 16th to 19th2017.
The students from Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute have been participating in the event since 2009. Including all the past achievements, in 2014, the team astonished the audience finishing an overall 6th position in Asia while participating in the Prototype Battery Electric category in Manila Philippines. The car produced a mileage of 205.6km/kWh falling short by only 57.8km/kWh from the 1st place. This year Team Toyota Hammerhead Arc will uphold the legacy of its predecessors.
Faray Majid, the team captain, explained how they are going about the competition. He said, “We are really proud to have the exclusive opportunity to represent our university and our beloved Pakistan on international grounds. For the upcoming contest, we have improved our design and efficiency, keeping in mind the tough competition.”
The team consists of many talented and hardworking engineers from different faculties. Although the team has an advisory panel of faculty members but the research, design, manufacturing, testing, developing, marketing, management and finances are managed by the students.
Of so many members of the team hammerhead proudly standing around their car in their lab only eight would be going to Singapore. As for the car, it will be packed up and sent to the event location before the event “But not before we can tune its engine to perfection and run our tests on it to ensure a smooth fuel-efficient run during the competition,” says Waleed Hafeez, the team member and the chief mechanical engineer.
Among all the major concerns before the competition is the scarcity of resources. This is due to the remote location of GIKI which sometimes limits the potentials of students living here. This has to be dealt in conjunction with the hardest job in the world – arranging finances and sponsors – that makes it more than a tough task for students.
The companies including the Indus Motors and Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) are among the sponsors of the team.
All these issues are in addition to the event’s core challenge — designing and building the vehicle which would travel furthest on a unit of electricity.
Among the other Gikians and fellow team members, the team advisor Professor Taqi Cheema is also buoyant for the team’s future accomplishments in the competition. He guided the students in every aspect for the improvement of the vehicle.
He said, “We have high expectations from our students that they will stand as the pioneering team from Pakistan for this global initiative. It is not just an educational platform that encourages innovation but also reinforces conservation and encourages the development of leading technology for greater energy efficiency”. -Osama Bin Haroon
