Archer

UrbanConcept
Battery-electric
2013-2017

The fledgling team toyed with the idea of building a more road-worthy and practical car as part of their efforts to double down on performance for their second competition. They conceptualized the car as gasoline-powered and bearing the name DLSU Archers. The concept materialized the following year as the Archer, the successor and heir to prototype cars DLSU 100 and 101, but the team’s hopes of dominating the competition with this new car were dashed when haze covered the skies of Malaysia, forcing the event organizers to cancel the event.

In 2014, Shell Eco-marathon was brought to the Philippines to celebrate the company’s one hundred year presence in the local market. The solar panel-topped Archer circuited Burnham Green at Rizal Park to claim the second place in its category.

New rules meant that upgrades to the car’s system was necessary. The body itself was reformed to be a monocoque with removable front and back hoods rather than the body-on-frame which required four people to remove and replace the top shell. The solar panel was also removed.

The following season proved to be more challenging to the team as new rules dictated that a custom-built motor controller be used on the car but the team came back stronger in 2016 as the vehicle was able to clinch not only the title of the top electric UrbanConcept in Asia but also a ticket to meet with teams from around the world in London.

Due to its age, a new electric car was slated for the 2017 competition. That, however, did not stop Archer from seeing action one last time at the local challenger event at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga. As Flux assumed the car’s mantle in the succeeding years, Archer, the first Filipino car to participate in the prestigious Drivers’ World Championship Grand Final, now lives as an exhibition car as a model for future improvements on the current generation of cars and as a monument to the skill of the Lasallians who built and sustained it during its four-year stint in the competition.