Members lift Flux to set it on a table for rehabilitation. On its right is the mould used to create the body. Students experience building the car with their own hands from the structure of the body to the wiring.
The team not only builds cars but also create events to raise awareness on environmental issues as part of its mission. Last March 30, 2019, the team, together with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers hosted the Lasallian Sustainability Symposium.
To challenge each other, friendly competition sometimes sparks between the two competition teams. However, in the end, the teams celebrate each other’s achievements and recognizes that the other is vital to overcoming obstacles during the season.
The team spends some time to enjoy the city where the competition is held to relax at the end of a stressful season. Here, the team goes on a bike tour of Singapore after Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2018.
Even after graduation, some alumni come back to impart lessons to the current team and to help them beat challenges during the season. In honor of their contributions to the team, they are invited to events such as this 2018 University Launch of the cars.
The team’s current logo is a stylized centrifugal clutch in green, black, and white that reminds the three team that working together is the only way to go far in the competition.
Despite the accolades the team has gained throughout the years, the members refuse to rest on their laurels and still continue to push the limits of technological innovation to produce more powerful yet more efficient cars for the competition.
Where Theory Meets Reality
The DLSU Eco Car Team provides a platform for students to experiment and put to the test their knowledge in such a way as to spark the drive for innovation in response to the environmental disasters the world is facing today.
Ever since its inception in 2010, the team has consistently ranked as among the best in Asia and has been invited several times to compete against other top teams in Europe and the Americas.
History
In 2010, Shell brought their highly successful competition to Kuala Lumpur. In response, several students from the University formed the DLSU 100 Eco Marathon Team and within a year was able to field their car, DLSU 100, the first electric car from the Philippines in the event. The following year saw the team upgrade their car’s electrical systems and even create a gasoline-powered car. Due to the advanced features of the new vehicle, the team was awarded the Technical Innovation trophy, the first of many awards that the team would fetch from the competition.
Seeking to challenge themselves more, the team developed its first car with a more practical design mimicking the vehicles that run on the streets. Naming it Archer after the school symbol, the car was able to top its category multiple times and was even invited to race against the winners from the two other regions in the first ever Drivers’ World Championship in London. Its gasoline counterpart, Delta, followed suit and garnered more accolades for the team, even beating other cars in the Asian version of the race to bring the team a second time to the international limelight in 2017. Currently the team uses a new generation of gasoline and electric cars which were developed in light of the team’s experiences with its previous cars.
Off the track, the team was able to garner the Communications award in 2013 for effectively propagating its message and a commendation for the same award in 2018. Filipino hospitality was not lost with the team as they lent DLSU 100 to another team whose car could not arrive in the competition on time. For this, the team won the Perseverance and Spirit of the Event award in 2014.
The DLSU Eco Car Team continues to evolve and innovate by continuing to discover more ways to improve the efficiency of their creations. By exhibiting competence and excellence in this field, the team demonstrates to the world that Filipinos can also be leaders in making the future.
Team Structure
To achieve the goal of building the most efficient cars in Asia, the team is composed of three groups namely the Electrical Team, Mechanical Team, and the Operations, Marketing, and Advocacy (OMA) Teams. The members of each group are further segregated into divisions who specialize on a certain system or function.
The team has two advisers who guide the team on the best processes to be applied when building the systems on the car.
The team is overseen by the Steering Committee composed of the heads of the three groups and the two team managers of the two competition teams and headed by a chairperson who is appointed by the group.
The Electrical Team handles the development of electrical systems for both cars, especially the Battery-electric one. The Mechanical Team is responsible for the design and construction of the car body and its mechanical components and particularly cares for the internal combustion engine of the Gasoline car. The OMA Team secures the necessary permits, maintains partnerships with companies and establishments, and documents the process of the team’s entire eco-marathon season.
During competitions, the University fields two teams, the DLSU Eco Car Team – Battery Electric and the DLSU Eco Car Team – ICE. These are composed of members from the three groups who will ready and prepare the two cars to pass inspection and to break records on the track.
Mission
To be an organization with members who values designing an innovative, safe, and fuel-efficient vehicle in the various Shell Eco-marathon competitions.
Vision
The DLSU Eco Car Team (ECT) drives itself to become one of the leading innovators of automotive technology, safety and fuel-efficiency in Asia
Team Logo
The centrifugal clutch transfers the rotational force generated in the engine into the shaft of the drive wheel to allow the car to move forward. In a similar way, the three groups in the team, represented by the three green shoes, must work together to formulate solutions and drive innovations both on and off the track.
Diamond Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Team Awards
