Deakin team achieves fuel efficiency success at international competition

It was success on the streets of Manila for Deakin University’s ‘Deakin Prototype’ team in this year’s Shell Eco-marathon Asia competition, with their vehicle achieving third place for fuel efficiency in their prototype alternative fuel category.

The Shell Eco-marathon is a "unique competition that challenges students around the world to design, build and drive the most energy-efficient car". It has three annual events in Asia, America and Europe and winners are determined by the mileage achieved on a litre of fuel, rather than speed.

It is the second time Deakin has entered a team in the competition and, with student teams from 17 countries across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Australia taking part in the Asia competition this year, it was a strong result for the Deakin team. Team leader Andrew Gallagher noted, "The new team produced a car that ran with consistent reliability and returned competitive results". 

Jordan Inturrisi, an engineering and commerce student and – perhaps not surprisingly – the team’s Head of Electronics and Head of Business – said the number of team members ranged from 10 to 15 across the duration of the competition, with eight (seven students and one technical staff member) making the trip to Manila in March.

The progress achieved by team members during the competition was a highlight for the team’s major sponsor, Carbon Revolution. Ash Denmead from the company commented, "It has been great seeing this group of young engineers develop the vehicle and as a team this year. Watching them overcome the challenges through the year and make incremental changes to double their fuel mileage has been incredibly rewarding to see as both a sponsor, and as an individual."

He also noted that the competition experience is the type of thing employers "look for in graduate engineers, those people who can demonstrate experience in real world challenging environments", saying it is what gets you "past the interview stage in the selection process".

Looking to the future 

Other Deakin students may have the opportunity to take part in the Shell Eco-marathon competition experience, with a team looking likely to become a regular fixture.

"With another year and consistent results under our belt, the future looks pretty bright for the Deakin Shell Eco-marathon team," Jordan says.

"We thank our major sponsors at Deakin University and Carbon Revolution for supporting us throughout the competition and look forward to a continued partnership in the future".

Contact the Deakin Shell Eco-marathon team.

Read more about the competition on the Shell Eco-marathon Asia website.

Find out more about studying engineering at Deakin.