'Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2012' was held at Sepang F1 Circuit, Malaysia during July 4-7th.
141 teams from 18 countries competed for the championship in the fuel efficiency and the design creativity.
[Jun 19, 2012]

 
 YUSAE team that will represent Korea at the Shell Eco-Marathon Asia, guidance professor Hwang, Pyung (second from right), and sponsors (fifth from right, Ha, Jong-hwan, president of Shell Korea)

 "We will do our best so that our efforts over the past six months to achieve 100km per liter of gasoline do not go to waste."

 The YU School of Mechanical Engineering's automobile production club 'YUSAE' (advising professor Hwang, Pyung) became the first in Korea to compete in the international eco-friendly automobile contest.

 The YUSAE team held a launching ceremony for the 'Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2012' at the YU Mechanical Engineering Building in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk in the afternoon of the 18th. President Ha, Jong-hwan and Director Jang, Rok-joo of Shell Korea, as well as representatives from Shell Pacific Enterprises, Nexen Tires, and POSCO were present at this event in which the YUSAE team was introduced, their vehicle explained, and logo stickers of sponsors were attached.

 The 'Shell Eco-Marathon' is an annual automobile race held for students over the age of 16 from 3 contents by the Shell International Petroleum Company. The Asia-Pacific event of this year will be held from July 4-7 at the Sepang F1 Circuit in Malaysia, in which 141 teams from 18 countries will compete in.

 The event is made up of two different sectors - the prototype (vehicles that have minimum friction and highest efficiency) and urban types (vehicles operated at maximal fuel efficiency for different types of fuels). Teams with the best fuel efficiency and unique designs are selected for each sector.

 The YUSAE team, which is made up of eight students of the YU School of Mechanical Engineering will be participating in the urban type. Since being selected in November of last year to represent Korea, they designed, produced, maintained and test-drove their automobile all alone. In particular, the ECU (engine control unit) that controls the 150cc gasoline engine was newly mapped for optimization and the vehicle was designed to minimize air resistance, while also making it as light as possible. Their main sponsors Shell Pacific Enterprises and Shell Korea provided full support, while Nexen Tires provided support for tire design and production, while POSCO offered support in selection of the materials for vehicle, as well as consultation.

 Kim, Min-jo (23, junior in the School of Mechanical Engineering), the team leader of YUSAE that is making last-minute inspections before departing on July 1, said, "It was difficult to prepare for the competition while doing our school work, but we always reminded ourselves that we should be proud to represent Korea, 'an automobile powerhouse'.", while adding, "We will demonstrate the traditions and capacities of YUSAE, which it accumulated for over 20 years."

 Ha, Jong-hwan, president of Shell Korea, who attended the ceremony, stated, "Shell has hosted the Eco-Marathon since 1984. I'm happy that Korea finally joined." He added, "As an alumni, I hope that YUSAE of YU, which is representing Korea, will have good results and show the world just how talented Korean university students are. Above all else, I want to remind the participants to pay special care to their safety and health." Ha was admitted to the YU College of Law in 1971.

 On the other hand, the YUSAE team was organized as an automobile production club of the School of Mechanical Engineering in 1991, and was certified for Korea's first club by the US SAE(Society of Automotive Engineers) in 1997. Based on its tradition and capacities accumulated by continuously participating in international competitions held in the US and Japan since 2000, it made its attempt to manufacture its first vehicle for Formula races in 2004. At its first appearance in England, it ranked 41st among 80 teams. In 2007 and 2008 in England, it ranked in the top 40 from over 110 teams, thus receiving international recognition for its capacities. In late 2009, it won first place at the 'National Online Electric Automobile Idea Contest' hosted by KAIST, thus being officially recognized as the 'Korea's best' in the eco-friendly car sector.