2021 Europe And Africa Off-Track Awards

On Tuesday, April 6, 2021, the winners of the Europe and Africa Off-Track Awards were announced LIVE on YouTube. Norman Koch, Shell Eco-marathon Global General Manager returned as our charming host of the virtual show, in a new high-tech environment, and alongside a select panel of judges and partners revealed the winning teams. We were also delighted to welcome Oliver Rowland, Nissan e.dams Formula E driver back to the show to congratulate the teams.

We received 126 submissions from 18 different countries across the region with great interest in two categories in particular; the NEW Data and Telemetry Award and a familiar favourite, the Communications Award.

The calibre of the submissions was also very high, making judging no easy task. After an initial shortlist, the judges deliberated and decided by mutual agreement on the winners and runner-up teams who receive $1,500 and $750 in prize money respectively.

Read on for the full list of 2021 Europe and Africa Off-Track Award winning and runner-up teams.

Watch the 2021 Europe and Africa Off-Track Awards Show

Title: Shell Eco-marathon Virtual Off-Track Awards – Europe and Africa Final

Duration: 17:06

Description: Shell Eco-marathon Virtual Off-Track Awards – Europe and Africa Final video

[GFX sting with music]

OFF-TRACK AWARDS

Shell Eco-marathon – Virtual

EUROPE AND AFRICA

[Video footage]

Transitions to Norman, full frame.

[Text displays]

#MakeTheFuture appears in top right corner, before changing to #ShellEcoMarathon

SHELL ECO-MARATHON scrolls vertically on left-hand side of screen, while AWARDS scrolls on right-hand side.

Norman:

Hello everyone, and welcome to our winner ceremony…

[Text displays]

Name strap appears for Norman Koch – Shell Eco-marathon Global General Manager.

Norman:

… for the Shell Eco-marathon Europe and Africa Off-track Awards 2021.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 has made it yet another very difficult year for our competition, but I am so impressed at how you have all risen to the challenge and achieved really great things. And today, we want to celebrate the amazing innovations that you have all shown in your submissions – ones that are all deserving of an awards ceremony.

Many of you are joining us today from Europe and Africa. It’s so great to have you with us!

[Video footage]

Split screens of competition entrants appear in front of Norman like a hologram.

Norman:

Also, as you know, we have two brand new categories in this year’s awards – simulate to innovate and data and telemetry.

[Text displays]

SIMULATE TO INNOVATE and DATA TELEMETRY graphics appear top left and top right, respectively, as Norman points into each corner.

Norman:

That means a total of seven awards in today’s ceremony. And here’s the prize money you could win.

[Text displays]

RUNNER-UP $750

WINNER $1500

Norman:

We’ll be announcing the runner-up and the winner for each award. Plus, we’ve got a very special guest joining us today.

[Video displays]

Holographic screen appears in front of Norman featuring silhouette of Oliver Rowland.

[Video displays]

Cut to montage of Oliver, full screen.

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Transition to Oliver, full screen.

Oliver:

Hi Norman. Hi everybody.

[Text displays]

Name strap appears for Oliver Rowland – Nissan e.dams Formula E Driver.

Oliver:

I’m here in London at the moment. It’s great to be back with you all again for this year’s awards. It’s been an extraordinary year, but I know that hasn’t stopped your team spirits.

[Video footage]

Cut to over-the-shoulder shot of Norman speaking to Oliver on a holographic screen, before cutting back to Oliver full frame.

Oliver:

Not only rising to every virtual challenge Shell Eco-Marathon sends your way, also making sure your cars will be track ready when the time comes.

I wanted to personally say a big congratulations to everyone who competed in this year’s Shell Eco-Marathon Europe and Africa Off-track Awards. It’s really impressive to see so many amazing teams taking part. Good luck, everyone! Back to you, Norman.

[Video footage]

Cut back to Norman, full frame.

Norman:

Thanks Oliver! Look forward to catching up with you again later.

And here to tell us how the teams were shortlisted and who the winners are, we are joined by our prestigious panel of award announcers.

[Video footage]

Norman drags holographic screens of awards announces into frame.

Norman:

So, without further ado, let’s get things under way with our first award.

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COMMUNICATIONS AWARD

OFF-TRACK AWARDS

Shell Eco-marathon - Virtual

EUROPE AND AFRICA

[Video footage]

Transitions back to Norman, full frame.

Norman:

This award focuses on a team’s ability to run the most impactful and successful integrated communications campaign on their Shell Eco-marathon project. I’m now being joined by my Shell colleague Rob Sherwin.

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Norman drags holographic screen of Rob into frame.

Norman:

Hello Rob. It’s great to have you with us. Can you tell us what impressed the jury most about this year’s winners, and most importantly, who they are?

[Video footage]

Cut to Rob, full frame.

[Text displays]

Name strap appears for Rob Irwin – Shell Vice President Media Relations.

Rob:

Well, Norman, hi. It’s great to be with you. Perhaps this year more than any other, all our teams have really had to hone their commutation skills, and that really shines through in the quality of all the submissions this year.

What really stuck out for the judges about our runner-up team’s communications program, was that they’d clearly gone above and beyond. They had really focused on communicating their own role in the energy transition, but had really linked that to their own country’s ambition as well.

So, I’m delighted to say that the runner-up for this year’s Europe and Africa communications award is…

[Video footage]

Transitions to GFX text of runner-up’s name, as well as a clip of team members lifting a trophy.

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Cairo University Eco-Racing Team

Cairo University

Egypt

Egyptian flag

Rob voiceover:

Cairo University Eco-Racing team from Cairo University. And well done to Cairo University Eco-Racing team.

[Video footage]

Transitions back to Rob, full frame.

Rob:

So now, onto the winners. This team submitted a communications program with a broad mix of content and channelled the strongest visual identity and were able to really show measurable impact. The judges felt that this was all-round a really professional submission.

So, the winner of this year’s communications awards for Europe and Africa is…

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Transitions to GFX text of winner’s name, as well as image of team members.

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Green Team Twente

University of Twente

The Netherlands

Dutch flag

Rob:

Green Team Twente, from the University of Twente. Huge congratulations, Green Team Twente.

[Video footage]

Transitions back to Rob, full frame.

Rob:

And back to you, Norman.

[Video footage]

Cut back to Norman, full frame.

Norman:

Thanks very much, Rob. And here’s a closer look at Green Team Twente’s winning submission.

[Video footage]

Screens featuring Green Team Twente’s submission appear around Norman.

Norman:

For our next award, we are now joined by Shell’s projects and technology director, Harry Brekelmans.

[Video footage]

Norman drags screen featuring Harry into frame.

Norman:

Hello Harry. Great to have you back on the show with us.

[Video footage]

Cuts to Harry, full frame.

[Text displays]

Name strap appears for Harry Brekelmans – Shell Projects & Technology Director

Harry:

Hi Norman, I’m delighted to be joining you. As you know, I’ve been part of Shell Eco-marathon for almost all of my career, and as an engineer myself, I’m constantly inspired by the wealth of talented engineers and scientists that the competition continues to attract and nurture.

This generation is shaping the future of energy and mobility, which is why it gives me great pleasure to announce the results of the vehicle design prototype award.

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VEHICLE DESIGN PROTOTYPE AWARD

OFF-TRACK AWARDS

Shell Eco-marathon - Virtual

EUROPE AND AFRICA

[Video footage]

Transitions back to Norman, full frame.

Norman:

This award recognises innovative design research in Shell Eco-marathon prototype vehicles. So, Harry, tell us who our winners are.

[Video footage]

Cuts back to Harry.

Harry:

Well Norman, our runner-up team really impressed the judges with their beautiful vehicle and detailed report… most notably, the creative way they displayed the efficiency of their vehicle’s performance.

The runner-up for this year’s Europe and Africa vehicle design award for prototype vehicles is…

[Video footage]

Transitions to GFX text of winner’s name, as well as image of team members.

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Project Hydrive

AGH UST

Poland

Polish Flag

Harry voiceover:

… Project Hydrive, from AGH University of Science and Technology. Amazing work, Project Hydrive.

[Video footage]

Transitions back to Harry, full frame.

Harry:

Which leaves me to reveal the winning team. This team submitted an impressive report that covered all the key aspects of prototype design, and the judging panel loved that their concept was inspired by nature’s most streamlined animal – the great white shark.

The winner of this year’s Europe and Africa vehicle design award for prototype vehicles is…

[Video footage]

Transitions to GFX text of winner’s name, as well as video clip of team members celebrating.

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ENIM TEAM TUNISA

ENI MONASTIR

Tunisia

Tunisian flag

Harry voiceover:

… Enim Team Tunisia, from the Eni Monastir. Huge congratulations, Enim Team Tunisia. What a great idea, using nature’s best designs to optimise vehicle movement.

[Video footage]

Cuts back to Norman, full frame.

Norman:

Thanks Harry. And here’s a closer look at how Enim Team Tunisia did that in their winning submission. Really inspirational designs there.

[Video footage]

Images of team’s designs appear around Norman.

Norman:

And we’ve got more to come.

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VEHICLE DESIGN URBAN CONCEPT AWARD

OFF-TRACK AWARDS

Shell Eco-marathon - Virtual

EUROPE AND AFRICA

[Video footage]

Transitions back to Norman, full frame.

Norman:

This award recognises innovative design research for Shell Eco-marathon urban concept vehicles and is presented by Andreas Demetriades from Altair.

[Video footage]

Norman drags Andreas screen into frame.

Norman:

Hi Andreas, can you tell us what impressed the jury most about this year’s winners, and most importantly, who they are?

[Video footage]

Cut to Andreas, full frame.

[Text displays]

Name strap appears for Andreas Demetriades – Altair Application Engineer.

Andreas:

Hi Norman. It’s great to be joining you again for this year’s awards, and let me tell you, the competition has been tough. The runner-up team’s report covered drag reduction, ergonomics and drive environment in good detail. Plus, their on-track testing videos provided great insight into their vehicle and gathered important, real-world data for analysis.

The runner up for this year’s Europe and Africa vehicle design award for urban concept vehicles is…

[Video footage]

Transitions to GFX text of runner up’s name, as well as video clip of team members.

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SAITEM

Sakarya Universitesi

Turkey

Turkish flag

Andreas voiceover:

… SAITEM Team, from Sakarya Universitesi. Great work, SAITEM Team.

Now we find out out who the winning team is.

[Video footage]

Transitions back to Andreas, full frame.

Andreas:

Their report highlighted key upgrades to their vehicle with real-world improvements added to their power train system, including a new hydrogen system and regenerative braking. Focus on durability and ergonomics really set this team apart.

This winner of this year’s Europe and Africa vehicle design award for urban concept vehicles is…

[Video footage]

Transitions to GFX text of winner’s name, as well as image of team members.

[GFX Text displays]

Green Team Twente

University of Twente

The Netherlands

Dutch flag

Andereas voiceover:

… Green Team Twente, from the University of Twente. Big congratulations, Green Team Twente from me and everyone at Altair.

[Video footage]

Transitions back to Andreas, full frame.

Andreas:

Norman, it’s so impressive to see such innovative design ideas coming from all team that competed in this category.

[Video footage]

Cuts back to Norman, full frame.

Norman:

I completely agree! Thanks very much, Andreas.

And it’s amazing to see our Shell Eco-marathon teams pushing deign boundaries year after year. Here’s a sample of Green Team Twente’s winning submission, which has now won them their second 2021 off-track award.

[Video footage]

Images of the team’s submission appear around Norman.

Norman:

Okay, onto our next award.

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TECHNICAL INNOVATION AWARD

Sponsored by Southwest Research Institute

OFF-TRACK AWARDS

Shell Eco-marathon - Virtual

EUROPE AND AFRICA

[Video footage]

Transitions back to Norman, full frame.

Norman:

The Technical Innovation Award is sponsored by Southwest Research Institute and recognises outstanding technical ingenuity and to present it, we have Matt Jackson from SwRI on the line.

[Video footage]

Norman drags Matt’s screen into frame.

Norman:

Hello Matt. Can you tell us what impressed the jury most about this year’s winner and who they are?

[Video footage]

Cuts to Matt, full frame.

[Text displays]

Name strap appears for Matt Jackson – Director of Fuels and Driveline Lubricants Research

Matt:

Hi Norman. I’m delighted to be back on the show for a second year running, and it’s great to see a record number of teams taking part.

Our runner-up team developed a liquid cooling system for their fuel cell vehicle, resulting in reduced drag while still maintaining the cooling capacity required for optimal operation.

The runner-up for this year’s Europe and Africa technical innovation award is…

[Video footage]

Transitions to GFX text of winner’s name, as well as clip of team members celebrating.

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Ecogenium

RWTH Aachen University

Germany

German flag

Matt voiceover:

… Ecogenium, from RWTH Aachen University. Impressive work, Ecogenium! You are our winners.

[Video footage]

Transitions backs to Matt, full frame.

Matt:

Well, the winning team really wowed the judging panel by implementing a steering wheel that provides real-time feedback to the driver, while also taking into account driver comfort, ergonomics and safety.

The winner of this year’s Europe and Africa technical innovation awards is…

[Video footage]

Transitions to GFX text of winner’s name, as well as image of team members.

[GFX Text displays]

Green Team Twente

University of Twente

The Netherlands

Dutch flag

Mattt voiceover:

… Green Team Twente, from the University of Twente. Big congratulations, Green Team Twente, from all of us at SwRI.

[Video footage]

Transitions back to Matt, full frame.

Matt:

Back to you, Norman.

Video footage:

Cuts back to Norman, full frame.

Norman:

Thanks, Matt. Great to see you. And here’s some of the great work from Green Team Twente’s winning submission.

[Video footage]

Images of the team’s submission appear around Norman.

Norman:

And that’s three 2021 Off-track awards for Green Team Twente so far. Impressive stuff.

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OFF-TRACK AWARDS

Shell Eco-marathon - Virtual

EUROPE AND AFRICA

[Video footage]

Transitions backs to Norman, full frame.

Norman:

We have three more awards still to come, but before that, we heard from him earlier, and he’s watching along with you today. He’s none other than Oliver Rowland.

[Video footage]

Norman drags Oliver’s screen into frame.

Norman:

Oliver, how are you enjoying the show?

[Video footage]

Cuts to Oliver, full frame.

Oliver:

Hi Norman. I just wanted to say that I’m really inspired and impressed by all the amazing teamwork and innovation all the winning teams have shown so far. I can’t wait to see who’s going to win next.

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Cuts back to Norman, full frame.

Norman:

Me neither. Thanks, Oliver.

So, let’s keep those awards coming.

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SIMILATE TO INNOVATE AWARD

Results of the 2021 Europe and Africa Off-Track Awards

Winner: Green Team Twente, University of Twente – The Netherlands

Green Team Twente was the clear winner. The team submitted a very clear presentation of a high-quality communications programme. Professional, broad mix of content and channels, good creative in asset production, strongest VI and with measurable impact. In short: an incredibly professional approach overall.

Runner-up: Cairo University Eco-Racing Team, Cairo University – Egypt

The team’s communications programme was very clear in its objectives that reached beyond the team’s own objectives to Egypt’s vision for 2030 as well as creating awareness amongst the public at large about their own role in Energy Transition. Although the programme was weighted more towards traditional channels, it was fit for purpose in a local market context. Extra points for the visual and creative form in which the submission was presented.

Lead Judge: Jeanette Hamster, Global Internal Communications, Shell
Winner: ENIM TEAM TUNISIA, ENI Monastir – Tunisia

A very impressive report that covers all the important aspects of prototype designing. The judges loved seeing the justification of the concept design through being inspired by nature’s most streamlined animal – the great white shark! Great comparison on how the team improved from last year’s design to this year’s design too. Great job!

Runner-up: Project Hydrive, AGH UST – Poland

Beautiful vehicle! A really nice report with attention to detail, especially the way in which the team displayed the efficiency of the vehicle’s performance with the use of bar charts. Nice job!

Lead Judge: Matt Jackson, Director of Fuels and Driveline Lubricants Research, SWRI
Winner: Green Team Twente, University of Twente – The Netherlands

Green Team Twente's Vehicle Design report highlighted the key improvements to their 2021 challenger, with real world improvements added to their powertrain system, including a new hydrogen system and regenerative braking. Highlighted issues and subsequent improvements in durability and ergonomics helped set this team apart.

Runner-up: SAITEM, Sakarya Universitesi – Turkey

SAITEM's iterative CFD process for EVrim5 clearly detailed aerodynamic improvements, with a conscious inclusion of manufacturability assisting with the selection of the design. Discretisation of the molds and focus on both ergonomics and real-world testing rounded off an excellent report.

Lead Judge: Andreas Demetriades, Application Engineer, Altair
Winner: Green Team Twente, University of Twente – The Netherlands

Green Team Twente implemented a steering wheel with real-time feedback to the driver to provide information such as speed vs. desired speed, system status, and alert messages. The system is configurable for individual drivers to maintain optimal comfort while behind the wheel. The design was implemented to be very clean and professional to maintain proper ergonomics and safety while driving.

Runner-up: Ecogenium, RWTH Aachen University – Germany

Ecogenium were chosen as runner-up in this category for a liquid cooling system which they developed for their fuel cell vehicle. This enabled them to reduce the drag on the vehicle due to the reduced requirement for large intake ducts while still maintaining the cooling capacity required for optimal operation.

Lead Judge: Rebecca Warden, Manager Fleet and Driveline Fluid Evaluations Section, SWRI
Winner: Cairo University Eco-Racing Team, Cairo University – Egypt

An entry that really impressed the judging panel who loved seeing how this team really pushed themselves using a wide spectrum of complex simulation tools. Not only did they conduct a detailed CFD analysis and a structural optimisation but they also went into composite modelling – the team’s enthusiasm for CAE was noticeable as well as the effort they put into it. Very well done!

Runner-up: Team H2politO, Politecnico Di Torino – Italy

The judges absolutely loved seeing the logical workflow of the team from taking their MBD simulations through to a structural optimisation. Their final designs really showed how efficient their new parts are. Well done!

Lead Judge: Joyce Tang, Application Manager, Altair
Winner: Team UMAKIT, Bursa Uludag University – Turkey

Team UMAKIT stood out for their unique innovative way to improve safety with their digital safety system for their paddock, including thermal camera, a smart wristband, a lock for tools, hydrogen sensor, smoke and light sensor. The team included relevant COVID-19 safety measurements and designed a unique fire prevention system, which can be activated by the driver from outside the vehicle within seconds. This innovative thinking and unique digital solution to safety risks really impressed the judges.

Runner-up: Cukurova Electromobile Team, Cukurova University – Turkey

This team showed a good safety understanding, identifying the main risks and detailed descriptions for increased safety in different areas; from making the paddock COVID-19 safe to building the vehicle and parts, to outlining different materials risks and providing a risk mitigation. The determination to constantly improve the team’s safety awareness stood out for the judges.

Lead Judge: Caroline Zinser, Fuels Scientist, Shell
Winner: Eco-Runner Team Delft, Delft University of Technology – The Netherlands

An outstanding, all-encompassing and very advanced analysis, concept and implementation that aims at a maximum fuel efficiency through the smart use of data.

Runner-up: SZEnergy Team, Szechenyi Istvan University – Hungary

An impressive, multilevel telemetry system with real-time, computer- and driver-controlled responses and a diverse utilisation of data to minimise energy consumption.

Lead Judge: Marco Schmid, CEO of Schmid Elektronik

In their new role as technology partner of the Shell Eco-marathon programme, Schmid hosted the Data and Telemetry Webcast with the Data and Telemetry Team and empowered students to take part in this new award for 2021.

The winners of 2021 Virtual Off-Track Awards have been announced across all three regions. In case you missed the live shows, click here to watch the ceremonies and find out who the winners are.

2021 Virtual Off-Track Awards

2021 Virtual League

The winners of 2021 Virtual Off-Track Awards have been announced across all three regions. In case you missed the live shows, click here to catch up on all three regional awards and find out who the winners are.

Check out the Virtual League ranking