Sunday 08 / June / 2025
Muscat: An Omani car racing team, which includes a female driver, will take part in the Shell Eco Marathon in Singapore, to be held from March 16 to 18.
Shifa Al Hadi, a third year Computer Science student at the German University of Technology (GU Tech) in Oman, has been selected to drive the diesel powered vehicle the team has built. It is the first time an Omani female driver will drive the GU Tech eco car.
“The competition is about efficiency and I am excited to be the driver of this vehicle. We need to go the maximum distance in the least amount of fuel,” she said.
Al Hadi, who enjoys driving cars and holds an Omani licence, is also the Engine Control Unit (ECU) programmer for the team, which controls the amount of fuel getting into the cylinders to enhance efficiency using a software that controls motor and the friction, which are crucial for saving fuel.
“I have used the Arduino to programme the engine control unit so that fuel consumption is least. It took me more than a month to get the right programming. We have tested the car and it works fine. We expect to do well in the competition,” she said. “Low friction bearings need to be employed. To save fuel during the competition the driver will need to be well-informed, applying the correct driving method where no unnecessary braking or acceleration should be involved. Moreover, the type of fuel is important,” said Dr. Emmanouil Bouzakis from the Department of Engineering at GU Tech.
The GU Tech team consists of five male and one female member.
The competition is expected to draw more than 100 teams from all over Asia and Oman has two teams taking part this year, which also includes one from the Sultan Qaboos University.
