A team of students from the University of Lagos recently returned from The Netherlands where they participated in the 2014 Shell Eco-Marathon. ‘AUTONOV II’, the prototype battery-electric car made by the students passed all the 10 technical and safety tests at the competition. Last Friday, the car was officially shown to the university’s Governing Council at the Sports Centre. NAZA OKOLI spoke with Abraham Imohiosen, the team manager and final-year student of Electrical Electronics Engineering.
You just came back from The Netherlands. How did the University of Lagos come to be part of it?
Shell Nigeria actually went to a number of universities in Nigeria to introduce the project to them, and to get them to participate. It was open to every school. But of course, not every school may have what it takes to compete at such an event. University of Lagos and University of Benin were the only Nigerian universities that featured in the event. Before this time, no Nigerian university had ever participated in it.
Is it an annual event?
Yes, but it is held three times a year in three different continents: the Americas, Europe and Asia. We participated in the European competition. The competition lasts for approximately a week. It starts with a general event where people come together and talk about energy efficiency, and later on in the event period, the real competition starts.
Who sponsored this trip?
It was a joint venture between Shell and some other organisations.
Are there stages in the competition?
Yeah, there are stages. For example, there is the registration stage, then during the competition itself; we have the technical and safety inspection stage, and then the race proper. The race is about energy efficiency. It’s not about who is first to finish; it’s about who covers the farthest distance with the least amount of energy – be it electric or petrol.
So you did not actually finish first?
In that sense, there is no first or second or third; but in terms of energy and efficiency, there are positions.
What was your position?
Well, we don’t have a position on the table. The vehicle we created was able to complete three laps before the end of the competition, but you must complete 10 laps for your attempts to be validated. So that’s why none of our attempts was put on record.
Yet, you consider that outing a huge success…
Yes, we are celebrating because we actually built a vehicle that moves. And we passed 10 technical and safety inspections. A lot of teams came for the competition, but many were not able to get to the final stage. Many could not pass the technical and safety tests. So many teams were not even able to go on track.
Were there schools that performed better?
Yes, the competition is 30 years old. There are schools that have been participating in the competition for up to 25 years. Yes, the best school in the competition has been participating for 25 years now. They hold the world record for the competition.
What’s their record?
I’m not really sure. But I think it’s 3000 kilometres per litre. We were not in the same category. You know there are different categories. Every team is judged according to its category.
What category were you in?
Battery-electric category.
What other countries were in that category?
Many. I think Germany was there… Netherlands, France, Italy, Morocco.
Were there countries that came with more than one team?
Yes. Nigeria went with two teams. Some schools went with three teams. So while you can have a number of teams from one country, you can also have a number of teams from one school. That way, you can have them in different categories.
What about UNIBEN?
They were in the gasoline category.
What you have looks like a race car. Besides, it can only take one person – the driver. Do you think you have what it takes to build a real car?
Yes, I think so. Really, what you need is documentation. You need a place you can go to get information, like a reservoir of knowledge, like an encyclopaedia. Before you can say, ‘I can do this’, you don’t necessarily need to have the skills required to do it. For example, part of what we needed to do was to go around getting knowledge, learning things, buying materials. My point is that we actually have what it takes to be able to do it, and that is determination.
So, why haven’t we?
Probably funding, support or maybe the belief that it can be done. It will take someone who will say we can do it, and another person who will say, ‘Here’s the money’, and yet another person who will say ‘I have the knowledge’. So it will take a meeting of these three before that can be done. There may be other factors, too.
While there, you met students from other countries. Did you interact with them?
We spent most of the time working, but, yes, we found time to interact
Did you discuss the courses you do in school? Did you compare the content? Any difference?
Well, we didn’t interact to that extent. Like I said, we were really busy. If you found time to discuss anything, it would probably be about the competition, about the cars, about the next competition. However, most universities publish material about their courses online. When you compare that with what we do here, you find that it’s not all that different. So, it’s still the approach and the attitude.
Tell us about your teammates
It was a special team. Apart from engineering, the competition concerns itself with how teams can communicate the ideas of energy efficiency and the competition at large to the general public, among other things. So we found ourselves recruiting students from Mass Communication, Creative Arts, Architecture and Sciences. There were 20 of us in all. Our leader was Professor Ike Moweto; he travelled with us. We also had five other supervisors; but they did not have to travel with us.
You were the Team Manager, what was your job?
As the competition stipulated, the team manager was supposed to be the liaison between the organisers and the team.
You won’t be with this team in its next project
In a few months, I will be graduating; so I won’t be with the team. The competition strictly stipulates that every member of the team, apart from the supervisor, must be a student.
You’re in your final year, Abraham. What do you intend to do after school?
I’d like to go for a Master’s degree.
In Engineering?
No, Physics.
Physics? Don’t we usually rate Engineering higher?
(Laughs) Actually, Physics is the mother of all of these things. Physicists today deal with what engineers would be dealing with in twenty years.
Were there countries that came with more than one team?
Yes. Nigeria went with two teams. Some schools went with three teams. So while you can have a number of teams from one country, you can also have a number of teams from one school. That way, you can have them in different categories.
What about UNIBEN?
They were in the gasoline category.
What you have looks like a race car. Besides, it can only take one person – the driver. Do you think you have what it takes to build a real car?
Yes, I think so. Really, what you need is documentation. You need a place you can go to get information, like a reservoir of knowledge, like an encyclopaedia. Before you can say, ‘I can do this’, you don’t necessarily need to have the skills required to do it. For example, part of what we needed to do was to go around getting knowledge, learning things, buying materials. My point is that we actually have what it takes to be able to do it, and that is determination.
So, why haven’t we?
Probably funding, support or maybe the belief that it can be done. It will take someone who will say we can do it, and another person who will say, ‘Here’s the money’, and yet another person who will say ‘I have the knowledge’. So it will take a meeting of these three before that can be done. There may be other factors, too.
While there, you met students from other countries. Did you interact with them?
We spent most of the time working, but, yes, we found time to interact
Did you discuss the courses you do in school? Did you compare the content? Any difference?
Well, we didn’t interact to that extent. Like I said, we were really busy. If you found time to discuss anything, it would probably be about the competition, about the cars, about the next competition. However, most universities publish material about their courses online. When you compare that with what we do here, you find that it’s not all that different. So, it’s still the approach and the attitude.
Tell us about your teammates
It was a special team. Apart from engineering, the competition concerns itself with how teams can communicate the ideas of energy efficiency and the competition at large to the general public, among other things. So we found ourselves recruiting students from Mass Communication, Creative Arts, Architecture and Sciences. There were 20 of us in all. Our leader was Professor Ike Moweto; he travelled with us. We also had five other supervisors; but they did not have to travel with us.
You were the Team Manager, what was your job?
As the competition stipulated, the team manager was supposed to be the liaison between the organisers and the team.
You won’t be with this team in its next project
In a few months, I will be graduating; so I won’t be with the team. The competition strictly stipulates that every member of the team, apart from the supervisor, must be a student.
You’re in your final year, Abraham. What do you intend to do after school?
I’d like to go for a Master’s degree.
In Engineering?
No, Physics.
Physics? Don’t we usually rate Engineering higher?
(Laughs) Actually, Physics is the mother of all of these things. Physicists today deal with what engineers would be dealing with in twenty years.
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