Students from National University of Sciences And Technology (NUST), Karachi are going to participate in an international event "Shell Eco-marathon" being organised in Sepang, Malaysia. Shell Eco-marathon is an annual competition of cars prepared by students themselves.
The car that travels the most in the least amount of fuel stands out as the winner. There is a serious competition and cutting-edge engineering on view at the Shell Eco-marathon, and with this kind of fuel efficiency, it is no surprise that big car companies are taking a close interest in these budding young engineers. In 2009, a team from NUST Karachi was the first from Pakistan to participate in this marathon held in Germany. While their cars didn't have significant success on the track, they returned with 2nd place for the "Team Spirit" award, beating out more than 200 teams from around the globe.
This year, a team called "Team NUST PNEC Urban" from the same university is eyeing to register a robust display at this event. Despite their tiny budget, they have made a car which can travel more than 100 kilometers in a liter of petrol. They call their car "BOLT". It's not just the cars that have to be efficient, the drivers have to be efficient as well. "Some 40% of fuel can be saved by driving efficiently," said Junaid Alauddin, the main driver for the Bolt.
"Driving the Bolt is quite different from driving a normal car and we have to use a variety of driving techniques to maximise fuel efficiency." Initially, the team faced financial problems but with continuous effort, they managed to arrange finances with the support of private organisations and their university. "I don't think that we have completed our work yet. "We have completed just a phase of it, but the real test is yet to come," said the team member Haseeb Haider. "Competing against the rest of Asia, lifting Pakistan's flag and keeping it high amidst other nations' will be the real victory."