Emirati students develop fuel-efficient car

Engineering students from the UAE's Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) are getting ready to compete in the "Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2013" in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in July with their invention of an ultra fuel-efficient ‘Made in the UAE' car. The 17-member graduating students of Higher Diploma in Mechatronic Engineering (a combination of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, control engineering and computer engineering) at HCT's Ruwais College, took three months to manufacture the car with a number of challenges to face. "The first challenge was to build a very dynamic system that would enable us to consume less fuel without affecting the speed," team leader Abdulazeez Al Mehairi told the Khaleej Times. The materials used are also a challenge as Ruwais does not have the facility to supply their manufacturing needs. "We have to go to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah," Abdulazeez explained. "We feel honoured to be part of the group that will be representing the UAE at Shell's 2013 Eco-marathon challenge in Kuala Lumpur. As a team we have achieved so much through this process that we feel like winners already," said Abdulazeez. "Through this experience, we have gained project management skills and have tapped into our creative side to design and construct our fuel-efficient car. We have successfully raised awareness about the campaign and received support from both our university and local communities who we hope to make proud this July," he added. The Shell Eco-marathon is one of the world's most innovative and challenging student competitions held annually in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Participants in the challenge have worked together to find solutions in making transportation more efficient while reducing environmental impact. "The Shell Eco-marathon challenge has created a unique opportunity for our students to apply their engineering and project management skills to a real-time project with global implications," said HCT Vice Chancellor, Dr. Tayeb Kamali. The HCT Ruwais College will join six other teams from the UAE and a number of other teams from the region including Egypt, Lebanon and Qatar to compete in Malaysia.