PPP proponents urged to push local fuel-efficient car designs

TO help advance the adoption of smarter mobility in the Philippines, public-private partnerships (PPPs) are encouraged to support potential fuel-efficient car designs of local talents as the country hosts again The Shell Eco-marathon Asia at the Luneta Park from February 25 to March 1.

Lyndon Lumain, general manager of such event, told the BusinessMirror on Wednesday that they hope to see alliances from the government, private and the academic sectors in the future to work together to drive innovation and efficiency into vehicle designs.

This, he said, is feasible given the creativity and innovativeness shown by Filipino student-participants in such an annual event.

The official cited, for instance, the entry from De La Salle University, which won second place in the competition’s “Battery” category last year.

“Their designs will not improve if there’s no support from the government and the private sector because developing and designing [a fuel-efficient car] is expensive. It takes financial resources,” he said.

“So we hope they could see their potential. That’s why we hold it [the 2015 Shell Eco-marathon Asia] in a public place to really show to everybody that they could really work and yet they need help.”

Since the regional eco-marathon’s first staging in the country last year, Lumain shared that locally crafted fuel engines have already gained interests from both the government and private companies.

“We don’t own the rights [to the designs of the students]. We are just the enablers. So we channel them to the schools,” he said.  Being the event’s organizer, the oil company, according to Shell Vice President for Communications Ramon del Rosario, does not actually push the participants’ engine designs to the car manufacturers as they still need improvements to apply to the actual vehicles.  He said their technical group works with the design teams of the original equipment or car manufacturers for further enhancements.

“They try and match what we have in terms of our products as against what they have in terms of technology of cars and designs,” he said. “Then the combination can give you actual savings.”

With the growing interest as shown from the increase in numbers of local teams participating in this year’s event, he said that Filipino creativity is indeed alive.

From 14 student-teams coming from nine universities in Metro Manila last year, the 30 Filipino student-teams from 24 local universities all over Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao are all set for the 2015 Shell Eco-marathon Asia.

They will compete against over 100 teams of engineering students from 17 countries across the region to battle it out their very own original eco-friendly car inventions empowered to travel the farthest distance on the least amount of fuel.

“This year, I think it will be more competitive. Some of the Philippine teams have actually prepared. We see their potential of winning,” Del Rosario said.

source:  Business Mirror