Nigerian Students Test Self-Built Cars for Shell Eco-Marathon in May 2015
In the build-up to the 30th edition of Shell Eco-marathon Europe (SEME) holding in Rotterdam on May 2015, students from three Nigerian universities tested their self-built cars in Lagos on March 18.
The students who are drawn from the University of Lagos, University of Benin and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria built the cars which were transported to Lagos for a historic trial benchmarked against the crucial SEME rules of fuel efficiency, distance of travel and safety.
Mike Dawodu who led the Technical and Safety Inspection team of the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) Ltd said “this exercise is more about the technical and safety compliance measured against energy efficiency of the cars.
“The focus on energy efficiency underscores how the future of energy is critical to Shell’s mission globally as we constantly seek alternative energy sources in a sustainable and environment-friendly manner. In doing this, we fuel innovation and local capacity development among youths.”
SPDC and its joint venture partners, Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (NNPC) Total and Agip are sponsoring the participation of the Nigerian students for the event.
Guests invited to witness the test drive include staff of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services, (NPIMS), SPDC as well as some parents who applauded the students as they drove the cars around the Campos Mini Stadium.
Their determination to win laurels at Rotterdam was obvious to all and sundry as Team UNIBEN went on to build an improved version of their first car, TUKUTUKE, which they named ‘’Eco Cruise.’’ This improved car won the ‘’Best Design Car’’ award at a mini eco-marathon in South Africa in October 2014.
The cars which were taken to Rotterdam were also on display at the SPDC exhibition booth during the Nigeria Oil and Gas 2015 conference which held in Abuja on March 19.
Dr. Joseph Dawha, the NNPC Group Managing Director was one of visitors to the booth and was impressed by the achievement of the students.
Commenting on the event, the Managing Director of SPDC and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr Osagie Okunbor, said “Participation in SEME 2015 provides a good opportunity to showcase the achievements of creative young Nigerians and reinforce public thinking on smarter mobility, innovation and the future of energy. We’re very pleased to provide an enduring platform for the Nigerian students to interact with their peers around the world and gain a better understanding on breaking records and pushing boundaries.”