Indonesian student teams garnered five awards in the Urban Concept category and maintained their top position in the gasoline-fueled vehicles category at the energy-efficient vehicles competition Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) Asia, Sepang, Malaysia which ended on July 7, 2012.

Cikal Cakrasvarna team (ITB) took home the first place with a record distance of 196.3 km per litre of gasoline, which is equivalent to the distance from Jakarta to Tasikmalaya (West Java). Sadewa team (UI) won second place with a distance of 152.3 km per litre of gasoline. In the Urban Concept category where vehicles are fuelled with Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME), Sapu Angin 7 team of ITS, defended the title they won last year as champion of Alternative Diesel fuel class, while the Cikal Diesel (ITB) occupied second place. In Urban Concept powered by Electric Battery, Cikal Cakrawala from ITB – a newcomer in the category – came in second after Ngee Ann Polytechnic team from Singapore.

Peter Lukito Ferdian, student team manager of Cikal Cakrasvarna expressed their satisfaction at winning the first place in the Urban Concept category for gasoline class. “We are pleased with our results in SEM Asia this year as we are able to surpass our results last year and our current target of 130km/litre. We are also proud to be able to defend the Grand Prize award, considering that the competition this year is a lot harder with more participants“, said Peter. Last year in SEM Asia 2011, Cikal was also placed first in the category for gasoline fuelled with a record distance of 117 km per litre.

First time competitor in SEM Asia, Team Antasena (ITS) who participated in the Prototype category with hydrogen as fuel, brought back important lessons despite not qualifying the technical round of the competition due to mechanical constraints. “We have tried our best to fix the engine to meet the deadline, but we did not succeed. As a new participant, we have learned a lot from this event,” said Sutarsis, lecturer advisor of Antasena.

With the Indonesian teams’ success in achieving five on-track awards in SEM Asia 2012, President Director and Country Chairman of Shell Indonesia Darwin Silalahi said, “Looking at the success of Indonesian students in SEM Asia this year, we are confident that Indonesia will play a more significant role in the global agenda to accomplish smarter mobility.”

Out of 119 participants in SEM Asia 2012, Indonesia was represented by 18 teams from nine universities, namely: three teams from University of Indonesia (UI), four teams from Bandung Institute of Technlogy (ITB), a team from University of Gadjah Mada (UGM), three teams from Sepuluh Nopeber Institute of Technology (ITS), two teams from State Polytechnic Pontianak (Polnep), a team from University of North Sumatera (USU), a team from State Polytechnic of Jakarta (PNJ), two teams from Education University of Indonesia (UPI) dan a team dari State Manufacturing Polytechnic (Polman) Bandung. The Indonesian teams are the second biggest group after the host country Malaysia who were represented by 28 teams.

Consisting of eight Prototype and ten Urban Concept cars, the Indonesian teams have also opted to diversify their choice of fuel/energy source with; gasoline, FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester 100% - a kind of bio-diesel fuel) to the electric battery and Fuel Cell (hydrogen).

For more information on all Shell Eco-marathon, please visit the Shell Eco-marathon website at www.shell.com/ecomarathon.

For interviews, please contact:

Sri Wahyu Endah
External Communications and Social Performance Manager
PT Shell Indonesia
0811840605
Phone: +62 21 7592 4700
Fax: +62 21 7592 4679
www.shell.com/indonesia

About Shell Eco-marathon

Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) started in 1939 at a Shell research laboratory in the United States when the scientists placed a bet to design a vehicle that can travel the farthest distance with the least fuel. The contest winner that year was able to achieve 50 mpg (21 km/litre). From these  humble origins, an idea to conduct a better organized competition was born, which eventually became the event that we know today as Shell Eco-marathon.

SEM was first held for the first European students in 1985 in France. Then in April 2007, Shell held the first SEM America in the United States for college students. SEM Asia was first held in 2010 with Malaysia as host until 2013. The Philippines will host the next SEM Asia for 2014-2016.