Sarawak students shine at eco-marathon

KUCHING: Students from the Sarawak Centre of Excellence for Technology (CENTEXS) and Swinburne University are taking part in the esteemed Shell Eco-marathon Asia-Pacific & Middle East 2024, held in Lombok, Indonesia from July 2 to July 6.

One of the primary objectives of the event is to construct the most energy-efficient ultra-energy car, offering opportunities for the new generation to enhance their design, technology, and engineering skills.

Leading the Sarawak delegation is Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development, Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee, who stated that the collaboration between CENTEXS, Swinburne University, and Solarvest Borneo Sdn Bhd demonstrates the recognition and elevation of Sarawakians’ expertise and skills to an international level.

“I believe that participating in such events alongside other countries can inspire students with new ideas to enhance efficiency in the fields of automotive and green technology,” he said.

He also emphasized that the collaboration between the Sarawak government, CENTEXS, and Swinburne can showcase the superiority of green energy efficiency compared to other energy sources for automotive applications.

Meanwhile, the winner of the hydrogen prototype category will be evaluated based on prototype design, fabrication, machinery testing, and vehicle driving efficiency, including completing laps within the stipulated time using the least amount of hydrogen gas.

The team behind Green Gear-H comprises Project Chief Advisor, Ts. Dr. Muhammad Rafiq Mirza Julaihi, Ir. Dr Elaine Yeu Yee Lee, Chief Captain Ong Jing Mian, Technical Manager Divyessh Sivakumar, First Driver Amirul Supian Tarmizi, Second Driver (CENTEXS Alumni) Harry Ejay Atit, and Ryan Liaw Tze Cherng.

On the first day of the competition, the Green Gear-H team from CENTEXS, Swinburne University, and Solarvest successfully passed the technical inspection and advanced to the next phase.

A total of 12 other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, India, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Qatar, Thailand, China, and Vietnam, are also participating in the event.

Also present were CENTEXS CEO, Datuk Syeed Hussien Wan Abd Rahman, CENTEXS Commercial general manager Shahren Yusri, deputy director of Digital and Green Technology Academy Dayang Hanani Abang Ibrahim, and CENTEXS Digital Academy instructor Abang Mohd Arif Anaqi.