Girl power fuels Shell Eco-marathon

MANILA, Philippines - Today, women not only drive race cars, they also design and engineer them.

This has been proven by the strong presence of female engineers — and students — who have been fueling the success of Filipino teams at the Shell Eco-marathon Asia tilt.

The annual competition brings together youth engineers from all over the world in developing fuel-efficient vehicles that are designed for the future —utilizing an energy mix that includes biofuels such as ethanol, to technologies such as compressed natural gas and gas-to-liquids (GTL) apart from conventional gasoline and diesel.

In February 2014, Shell Eco-marathon Asia was held in Manila for the very first time. Next year, the journey of sustainable mobility continues as the country hosts the event once more, with increasing participation from Filipino student teams and female engineers like Jean Lharra de Guzman of the University of Santo Tomas (UST).

The UST 1 team with their gas-powered prototype car

“I was able to show that girls are also capable of doing a man’s work,” says the mechanical engineering senior who played a pivotal role in the landmark 2014 Shell Eco-marathon Asia that circled a specially built racetrack in Rizal Park.

De Guzman drove the Tiger400, the invention of the UST Eco-Tigers 1 team. It placed fifth overall in the gasoline-fed prototype category of the competition, registering 172 kilometers on one liter of gasoline.

The role of a driver was definitely not easy, but De Guzman was all for it.

“The heat inside the car, especially when wearing the suit and helmet, and the uncomfortable driver’s seat were some of the challenges I encountered. Comfort had to be sacrificed to increase the car’s performance,” she recalls. “I overcame these challenges by practicing and testing our car regularly, which eventually made me get used to the heat and the seat.”

At only 48 kilos, she was an ideal driver to keep the Tiger400 light in weight, which is a factor in achieving good mileage.

“Another challenge was shifting gears, because I had to make sure that I will consume the least amount of fuel as I drive. I had to practice hard and learn the car’s attributes to overcome these challenges in order for me and the car to perform well during the competition,” she adds.

While her teammates designed and built the car, which can also run on electricity, she in turn was able to give them feedback on how to modify and improve the Tiger400.

De Guzman says she had been wanting to join Shell Eco-marathon and be part of the UST team since her sophomore year, so she was extremely happy when the opportunity finally came.

“I believe they chose me to be the driver of our team’s car because I possess the qualities our team requires,” she beams. “I was very competitive and eager to drive our eco-car.”

Driving at Shell Eco-marathon has fulfilled De Guzman’s dream to join in an international competition, bringing honor to UST and contributing to the university’s engineering department. Above all, it gave her a truly memorable experience.

“Shell Eco-marathon taught us more about teamwork, setting our priorities, time management and, most of all, having fun and staying together not only with our own team members, but with other competitors as well,” says De Guzman. “The competition gave me an opportunity to meet new people.”

UST officials recognized the team’s hard work by bestowing upon them the Benavides Outstanding Achievement Award, which is given to students who have made outstanding achievements of regional, national or international importance.

It was also through Shell Eco-marathon that De Guzman affirmed her commitment to the course she took, and the future profession that she would be undertaking. “By being part of the team and participating in Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2014, I became even more interested in my engineering career,” she explains.

Another Filipina who is similarly striving to make a mark in the global engineering world is Katrina Rose Zoleta of Adamson University. She will be driving for her school’s Mechatron team in Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2015, which is slated from Feb. 25 to March 1.

Zoleta will be in charge of the electric-powered Sonic Falcon in the urban car category.

“Participating in this competition has taught me that it’s not about working hard, it’s about being the best that you can be,” says Zoleta, the only female member in the eight-man Adamson team composed mostly of senior mechanical engineering students. “It helped me appreciate my course even more.”

Weighing 47 kilos and standing 4’11”, the lightweight and petite Zoleta can help make Sonic Falcon’s motor perform at its optimum level with less use of energy from the battery. For her, the only challenge is overcoming the fear of making mistakes during the competition proper.

“Being the driver, the last touch will be on me. A wrong move might lead to disqualification of our team,” she says. But with constant practice and support from her teammates, she is confident that they will achieve record success in the competition.

With de Guzman and Zoleta, girl power will definitely drive the Filipino contingent’s quest for success in Shell Eco-marathon Asia.