K.J. Somaiya students top charts at Shell Eco-Marathon

Team ETA’s internal combustion engine prototype clocks a mileage of 268.7 km/l

Well-deserved victory: Team ETA also won an award for demonstrating exceptional behavioural safety and safe working practices in the paddocks and on the track.

Team ETA of city-based K.J. Somaiya College of Engineering which participated in the second edition of Shell Eco-Marathon, as part of Shell’s Make the Future Live India 2019 event in Bengaluru last week, topped in the category of gasoline. The team clocked a mileage of 268.7 km/l in an internal combustion engine (ICE) prototype which is equivalent to travelling from Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar in just one litre of fuel.

Team AVERERA from IIT-BHU became the overall toper by clocking the best mileage of 387.9 km/kWh in the battery electric prototype category. In the ICE urban concept, DTU Supermileage from Delhi Technical University topped the category by clocking 141.4 km/l.

Team ETA was also declared the winner in the award category for demonstrating exceptional behavioural safety and safe working practices in the paddocks and on the track.

The team was recognised for its overall approach in ensuring its own and others’ safety during the competition. They won a prize money of ₹2.5 lakh. A total of 24 teams participated in the contest which included 20 in the gasoline category.

“We cleared the stringent safety and technical inspections in just two attempts and were granted track access. Student teams at the track were evaluated on the basis of who covers the given distance within the specified time period using the least amount of energy,” Cherag Mevawala, captain of Team ETA, said.

“Our team stood first in India in the gasoline category and also won the safety award for which every team member had been preparing for the last two months. The team had been working on the car to improve mileage for two years which ultimately came to fruition at the competition,” he said.

Stating that the event was an exhilarating experience, Cherag said, “It took a long time for us to get here, and it was only because of the combined effort and belief of the team that this victory was possible.”

The team’s next step is to participate in an international level competition in Asia, which is going to be held at Sepang Race Circuit in Malaysia in June, 2020.

“We have a lot of plans to improve our performance so that we can stand a chance of doing well at the international level. But that won’t stop us as in the end, we are our main competitor and our aim is to do better,” Cherag said.