Urban Concept vehicles

This sleek 150-kilogramme ‘urban concept’ vehicle has been desgined and built by students of the GIKI.

Pakistan is hardly known for its engineering expertise or environmentally friendly policies. But students from two leading universities are trying to change that perception. Four Pakistani student teams have taken up the challenge of building eco-friendly cars as part of a competition featuring 196 other teams from across the world. They are tasked with building ‘urban concept’ vehicles, which are designed for everyday use by consumers, and ‘prototypes’ – unique, experimental vehicles that may seem impractical today, but might inform the design of cars in the future.

Two teams from the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Science and Technology (GIKI) and two teams from the Pakistan Navy College of Engineering (NUST) are headed to Germany on May 7 to participate in the Shell Eco-Marathon. The competition will reward the vehicle that goes the farthest distance using the least amount of fuel.

‘This is the first time that teams from Pakistan will be participating in the event,’ says Khurram Aziz, a third-year GIKI student. His team has designed a sleek 150-kilogramme ‘urban concept’ vehicle capable of clocking 80 kilometres per litre. ‘It took us around five and a half months to build our single-seater car, which is equipped with a 70cc engine,’ he says proudly.

Another GIKI vehicle, which will be competing in the prototype class of cars, gives 500 kilometres per litre mileage without a load and 350 kilometres with a driver. ‘Apart from the futuristic look,’ says Hammad, another GIKI student, ‘special care has been taken in the aerodynamics and car safety section.’

While the GIKI vehicles are rather sleek in appearance, the entries from NUST look awkward. A vehicle designed by student Ali Khan’s team resembles an egg shell on wheels. But Khan shows off the vehicle’s aluminum chassis and fiber glass body, which he insists make for a reliable automobile. ‘There are even air ducts installed to keep the driver cool in hot weather,’ boasts the 21-year-old. Satisfied with the vehicle’s functionality, Khan admits that his team did not have ample time to work on aesthetics – they completed and executed the design in just four weeks.

The young teams from Pakistan will not have an easy time competing with the best in the world. The record for a combustion engine entry was set by a French team in 2004 – the vehicle travelled 3,410 kilometres on just one litre of fuel. None of the Pakistani students’ vehicles even approach that mileage.

But GIKI’s Hammad, is not easily discouraged. ‘Our purpose is not to break the record, but to show the world that we too in Pakistan can make something brilliant. Even if we don’t win this time, we will get a chance to learn from other foreign teams. This way, we can improve our design and compete better in the next races.’