Team Structure

2004 - 2007 prototype models from the Lycée Technique Richard Stiévenart

Whether they heard about the event through the news, were approached by Shell to take part or were prompted by colleagues or students, once they had investigated the Shell Eco-marathon the teachers were all 100% convinced of the importance of taking part.

For several, a visit to the Shell Eco-marathon event itself helped make up their minds. Jean-Marie Sévéan, Deputy Director of the Lycée Technique Provincial Richard Stiévenart in Belgium, explains that after he was approached to take part by Shell in 1993, he and a colleague went to check out the race.

They returned convinced:

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Upon returning from our visit we immediately began preparations for the ’94 edition inspired by the great creativity witnessed at the event

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Massimiliana Carello, Faculty Advisor from the Politecnico di Torino, took a similar approach, visiting the Shell Ecomarathon in 2007 to get a better feel of what the event was all about before enrolling her institution for the 2008 edition:

National University of Singapore: tuning the clutch of the engine during one of the many test runs

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There were some very sophisticated high-tech vehicles from schools that had clearly invested a lot of time and money in their project. On the other hand there were teams who clearly developed their project with fewer resources and I guess the latter really convinced us: the cars looked very sophisticated despite limited resources, and were the result of using one’s creativity.”

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Politecnico di Torino: team H2politO, in their paddock, works to set-up IDRA08

The practical application of science is a core value of the Shell Eco-marathon that participating institutions particularly appreciate. Shell Eco-marathon event allows students to learn about a car’s bodywork, mechanics, electronics, and so on from a very tangible perspective.

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What we find great about the event is that we can put a lot of theory into practice. With the construction of this lowconsumption vehicle we hope we can help show the way to the future.

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Knowledge sharing

The Shell Eco-marathon also represents for many schools a way of sharing knowledge among students, whether from within the same team, amongst competing teams on site, or from one generation of students to the next.

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The project represents a great opportunity for students to share experiences from a knowledge-sharing point of view on-site, where they can share insights and build practical knowledge with the other teams. It’s always great to see how many innovative ideas there are among the students.

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While each year represents a new project and a new challenge even for repeat teams, accumulated learning and experience tend to be passed down the years, providing a store of knowledge from which participating students richly benefit.
Gérard Dechenaud explains: “There’s a certain amount of overlap in the teams year-on-year, but it’s a new experience for most off the team each year. However we still see progress in terms of technical evolution, which is great, as this means that knowledge is being passed down the years.“

Lycée Technique Stiévenart: Shell Eco-marathon is also about tasting Belgian products with the whole Eco-marathon family

The school of life

“What I find so interesting about Shell Ecomarathon is its multidisciplinary character”, says Jean-Marie Sévéan of the Lycée Technique Provincial Richard Stiévenart. “The skills the students develop working in a team together towards a common goal cannot be taught or bought.”

Indeed many institutions find that the Shell Ecomarathon is of great educational value for their students not just in the academic sense. Participating students develop a whole set of skill sets that cannot be imparted in the classroom or by pouring over textbooks. “The great cultural intermingling is also an eye-opening experience for many participants”, says Sévéan.

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I’ve seen timid lads grow into real men by participating in this project.

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Developing project management skills

Shell Eco-marathon prepares students in a very tangible way for real-life scenarios, including the professional world. It represents a complete project cycle which involves students from inception to end. Students are fully involved from project planning right through to racing the finished product on track, and get to see their own ideas come to fruition.

As Professor Lu says, “it is a very complete project: we actually start from scratch and in the end there’s a real car that works. The excitement in the team once the car runs is splendid”.

Gérard Dechenaud of ESSTIN thinks that the Shell Eco-marathon really allows students to get under the skin of what a project leader must be; students learn to manage responsibilities, stress, budgets and work to deadlines.

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We have a motto that ‘every washer and every watt counts’ – we’re only as strong as the weakest link.

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The team manager can only be responsible for one vehicle. He or she may also be the designated driver but can only be assigned to one car.

The team manager is the team’s sole official liaison with the organisers. Shell will address all the relevant information and communication materials directly to the team manager. 

For the purposes of this project, the manager is responsible for the team, should speak on behalf of the team and must be able to understand and speak English.

The driver for one vehicle cannot be the driver or reserve driver for another vehicle. The main and reserve drivers must be affiliated with the educational institution for which he or she is driving.

A reserve driver may be assigned to two vehicles. However, once he or she has driven one of the vehicles (during practice or in competition), he or she may no longer drive the other vehicle.

There is no *limit to the number of members per team. As a team project, you may want to assign a specific role to each team member e.g. communications and marketing, design, safety, etc. You may also have smaller teams within the team working on these areas.

*While there is no limit to the number of members per team, please note that each team will receive a travel subsidy for approximately five persons based on the distance that they need to travel to the site (terms and conditions apply). 

DISCLAIMER: Although all reasonable consideration have been taken to ensure that all information provided in these pages are accurate, please note that the information including any hypertext links may be subject to changes. You are advised to contact the organisers for the latest information.