Shell Eco Marathon

Shell Eco Marathon - A Better Future

The first week of February marks the start of the event Shell Eco Marathon. For the first time in this competition, the event was held in the Philippines in Pasay City. This activity was attended by different countries from all over the globe and they are sporting their respective vehicles with different designs and concepts that would help their team in winning.

Last February 6, 2014, our school attended the first day of the event. For my part, I have personally experienced the marathon even if I am not a part of the team. During the first day, the special event that took place was the technical inspection and the test drives of the vehicles. I witnessed how the technical inspection happened. The judges were scanning every detail of the vehicle and they are really making sure that the vehicle would pass the requirements needed. Our school, Don Bosco Technical College, showcased their own vehicles and they are the concepts Hybrid Electric Vehicle and Battery Electric Vehicle. Both of the cars passed the initial inspection and the cars did not let down the students during the test drive that is why all hope was risen up from the members.

While we are loitering on the site, my attention was shifted into the race track which was set-up by the organizers. It is a race track for the free mini vehicles that they have given us. The car's electricity and power came from salt water and it is a highly regarded innovation that is why there is a lot of students gathered around the track and they were building their own model. For my part, I was just contented in watching my fellow students in building their mini cars because I plan to build mine at home. My curiosity was strongly setting in while watching the cars because it really is a wonder that the salty substance can generate electricity once in contact with the metal plate. After spending some time on the race track, we proceeded to the energy laboratory wherein different machines related to science and engineering were present. There was a technology wherein they can compute the number of joules when people are running inside a plastic ball. There was also a dance floor which can store energy from the students who are jumping up and down on the platform. There was also an exhibit for the oil and gas industry specifically the presentation for the Manampalaya Project. Different learning can be gathered on that laboratory that is why it was really fun going around the laboratory.

After going out of the laboratory, we already prepared ourselves to head home. The day that we spent there was really a special and exciting one for all of us especially that the event and the activities are really closely related with our course which is Mechanical Engineering. I realized that there are still more innovations that can be done especially in different countries wherein the technology is not limited. It would be a good thing that the engineers graduating in the Philippines would just remain in our country so that they may be of help in innovating different mechanisms and in return, our country can produce so much more.Shell Eco Marathon made me realize that anything is possible through critical thinking and that once we use our learning from this activities, it can certainly lead us into a better future.