At the Shell Eco-marathon 2019 in Malaysia, Team Averera from the Indian Institute of Technology- Banaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU) has bagged the second position in the battery electric prototype category. The team also won the Vehicle Design (Prototype) Award and a cash prize of USD 3000 for their innovative design research and execution.
Six Indian teams participated in the Make the Future Live Malaysia festival which is a part of the four-day annual event that showcases innovative energy ideas, Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2019. The event challenged bright students to design and build ultra-energy-efficient cars and then put them to test in the competition. Team Averera clocked 465 kilometres on 1-kilowatt energy per hour in the Battery Electric prototype category which awarded them the runner-up spot in the category. Out of the six teams, five participated in the battery electric category and one competed in the gasoline category. A total of 108 teams across Asia participated in the event that saw with 53 teams compete in the battery electric prototype category.
The team issued a statement which said: “We are delighted to be the first ever Indian team to win these accolades at Make the Future Live Malaysia. We see this victory as a culmination of all our hard work and perseverance. We have seen continued improvement over years of participation at Shell Eco-marathon Asia thanks to the combined efforts of our Director IIT (BHU) Varanasi, Coordinator (CERD), seniors, teachers and Shell. Participating at Shell Eco-marathon has been an immensely enriching experience where we got to learn from the brightest young minds from across the region. We accept this honour with humility and hope that we continue to do the country proud over years to come.”