For the fourth consecutive year, COT Mechanical Engineering Technology students competed in the Shell Eco-marathon® Americas. For the second year, the event was held downtown in and around the George R. Brown Convention Center. This year, three UH vehicles competed, the most entries from the university to date. One of these entries was UH's first-ever solar powered vehicle to compete.
Team members were challenged to build a vehicle with maximum fuel efficiency and then test it against vehicles from 70 other university and high school teams across North America. The test for the students was to design a vehicle that would go the farthest distance with the least amount of energy.
Under the direction of MET Professor Raresh Pascali, the students also mentored the team from Houston's Westside High School. Westside was the only Houston-area high school selected for competition. The COT team provided the Westside team with a variety of parts, including the frame and wheels for their vehicle.
According to Mark Singer, Global Project Manager for Shell Eco-marathon, "Using today's - and tomorrow's - fuels in smart ways also makes our global Shell Eco-marathon competitions so inspiring."
Plans are already underway for teams to compete again next year. For information on the MET program, visit here.