Made in the UAE student-designed fuel efficient cars of the future to compete at Shell Eco-marathon Asia, to be held in Singapore for the first time in 2017 

Dubai, UAE, August 18, 2016:  Singapore will play host to the inaugural edition of Shell’s Make the Future festival, featuring Shell Eco-marathon Asia at which students from across the UAE will participate with their Made in the UAE fuel-efficient cars. This four-day, free-of-charge public festival takes place at the Changi Exhibition Centre from March 16 – 19, 2017. It will feature bright energy ideas and innovations that address the global energy challenge – how to generate more energy, while producing less CO2. 

At Make the Future Singapore, visitors will be invited to experience the innovations, contribute their own ideas and drive the journey to an energy-efficient, low-carbon future. Through virtual reality and hands-on experiential zones, visitors will be able to explore what is happening today and what the future of energy landscape might look like, from renewable energy to natural gas and low-carbon technologies.  Participants will also experience the interactive zones about the future of energy, mobility and innovation as presented by Shell and other partners.

In addition, the Shell Eco-marathon Asia initiative will be hosted in Singapore in 2017 for the first time after successful runs in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 2010 to 2013 and Manila, Philippines from 2014 to 2016.  Shell Eco-marathon is a unique global initiative for students who are passionate about developing innovative mobility solutions and challenges them to design, build, drive and compete to create the world’s most energy efficient vehicles.  Shell Eco-marathon will be featured as the highlight of Make the Future festivals. 

Teams of students can build one of two types of cars: Prototype – futuristic and highly aerodynamic vehicles – or UrbanConcept: highly economical and innovative vehicles that resemble today’s cars. They must pass a detailed technical inspection before they are allowed onto the track to see how far they can go on the least amount of fuel. Awards are given to the most energy efficient vehicles within the various categories.

In 2016, Shell Eco Marathon witnessed 15 student teams from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region participating in the event. Several of the teams achieved top ranking positions from over 171 teams which were part of the annual event. This year’s event hopes to host even more participation from MENA university teams. 

Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2017 will also see the introduction of the inaugural Regional Drivers’ Championship, an exciting race format in which the best teams will vie for their place in the Drivers’ World Championship in London in 2017, competing in an exciting head-to-head race to see who the most energy-efficient driver is.

As a festival of ideas and innovation, Make the Future will appeal to young and old, with the objective of inspiring individuals, communities, governments and businesses across the globe to come together and drive change in a responsible way.

“Our world faces one of its greatest challenges: to generate more energy, while producing less CO2. Singapore is no exception to this global energy challenge. Through Make the Future Singapore, we hope to see bright ideas put into action, unlocking the potential of an entire region and working together to turn that potential into tangible solutions for Asia – and the wider world,” said Goh Swee Chen, Chairman of Shell Singapore.

“With Shell Eco-marathon Asia coming to Singapore and being a part of the larger Make the Future festival, we hope to inspire more young and bright talents to contribute towards creating cutting-edge technology in the areas of energy and mobility. Through Shell Eco-marathon Asia, we want to help the world meet its growing energy needs in a responsible way by working together with students, partners and other stakeholders”, said Norman Koch, General Manager, Shell Eco-marathon.