Perodua Eco Challenge is back for 2012, 13 teams to battle in the most challenging edition so far

Perodua Eco Challenge is back for 2012, 13 teams to battle in the most challenging edition so far

The Perodua Eco Challenge (PEC) is back for 2012, and things are about to get more interesting. This is the fourth edition of the annual event that’s part of Perodua’s CSR efforts, and it will be once again held at the Melaka International Motorsport Circuit (next to the Ayer Keroh Melaka toll) on July 15.

All 13 institutions of higher learning that participated in PEC 2011 will be back this year. Last year’s winners Politeknik Ungku Omar (longest distance), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (engineering category) and Universiti Malaysia Pahang (design and participation category) will be defending their position against Universiti Sains Malaysia (two time winners), Universiti Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia Spanish Institute, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), Universiti Industri Selangor (UNISEL) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

Perodua Eco Challenge is back for 2012, 13 teams to battle in the most challenging edition so far

Also taking part are Politeknik Port Dickson, Politeknik Sultan Azlan Shah and Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka. The latter competed last year as a guest team, but is now a full fledged entry.

The big news this year is that there will be no car or engine given – the teams will have to modify and improve on their 2011 machine using RM10,000 given by Perodua at a ceremony today.

Another big new challenge is that the machines will be tested dynamically as well, as opposed to the sole criteria of longest distance from previous years. This will be done via a new category called Time Attack. Here, cars will be tested on acceleration, cornering, braking and a slalom test. The scope is now much bigger, with the addition of performance into the mix.

Perodua Eco Challenge is back for 2012, 13 teams to battle in the most challenging edition so far

There’s more! Perodua has opened a new category for Business, Commerce or Management faculties of the participating IPTs, where “Marketing Teams” have to submit their marketing, promotion and business plans for their team vehicle. RM5,000 was given to each team. The judging panel for this category will be industry professionals.

With the newly introduced categories, there will now be an Overall Champion. The total prize money for this year’s PEC has been increased to RM103,000 from RM77,000 to cater to the new categories. The overall champ will leave Melaka with RM25,000, while longest distance and engineering category winners take home RM10,000 each. The new Time Attack category offers RM7,000 for the most dynamic car.

Perodua Eco Challenge is back for 2012, 13 teams to battle in the most challenging edition so far

Click here and here for our 2010 and 2011 Perodua Eco Challenge reports. Go to last year’s report to see the 2011 cars that this year’s teams have to work with.

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • I wish there were a mixed event that ppl must take either of P1 or P2 and then modify to compete.

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  • drMpower on Mar 07, 2012 at 9:45 am

    i want another dimension to the already practised approach.
    these models despite their efficiency and excellent knowhows, are not realistic even to make into pre production or prototyping
    so if i may i would like to see a proper model just like the perodua winner by usm couple years ago. i dont know this and that are the same competitions, but it is easier for me and the mass people to see the results out of competitions such as this

    and if perodua can,discard the additional ‘finding a salesman’ marketing competition and replace it with something like future engineering design
    it could be just the form of principal miniscale modelling and focus it on engine development or technologies that makes the vehicle.
    i know the real time budget for engine development is millions but for a competition like this, perodua can allow scaled down model or just principal study with relevant results
    maybe by going this way we and of course perodua may find the next vtec or lightweight material or driving assists etc etc

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    • mechyjack on Mar 07, 2012 at 8:12 pm

      With all due respect sir, I disagree with you..

      I was one of the students who participated in last year’s Perodua Eco Challenge. We were given a Viva engine and were told to design and build a vehicle with the given engine and within the rules and regulations.

      The idea of this was for us to apply all of our engineering theories to create a fully functioning vehicle. It is similar to the Formula SAE competition, one of the most highly competitive engineering design competitions in the world.

      We build the vehicle from scratch. Every angle, length and dimensions of every single piece of the vehicle down to each screws, bolt and nuts were calculated. We learned how the vehicle reacts under certain forces and conditions. And that was the most mind opening experience I ever had. I now understand how a vehicle works, behaves and how each components related to each other.

      Major automotive companies in the world have their own R&D centre. There is where the engine developments and technologies are developed. Let them do the work and us to learn from them. Let us learn the basics and mistakes of developing a vehicle first before venturing into much radical designs or technologies.

      As an engineering student, I firmly believe in hands-on approach as we cannot simply rely on theories and concepts. This competition is a very good exposure to us as we apply the theories and concepts and learning how the actual design does not 100% matches the theories.

      As the marketing competition, it will help us engineering and business students on how to work together as we came from a completely different field. It will really help us when we start working in the industry.

      The mass people WILL see the results out of this competition. But it wont be immediately after the competition. It may be 5 years or 10 years in the future when we will be engineers in the industry; designing and improving current vehicle/engine technologies for the masses

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  • GoWae on Mar 07, 2012 at 12:25 pm

    Fantastic.

    This is what the country lacks.

    Students with innovation and brains!

    Keep it up !

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