Display of the Antasena Alpha car from the ITS Antasena Team which will compete in the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Prototype category at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit, Lombok

ITS Campus, ITS News – Not only the Sapuangin Team but the Antasena Team which is also an energy-efficient car team from the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) stated their readiness to compete in the On-Track competition in the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Prototype category at the Shell Eco-Marathon (SEM) ) Asia 2023. This prestigious annual event will be held at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), 4 – 9 July 2023.

As is known, SEM is an annual event that challenges its participants to compete in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and to innovate in energy optimization in vehicles. As in previous years, in this international event, the ITS Antasena Team will also compete with teams from various countries in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions.

General Manager (GM) of the Antasena ITS Team, Ghani Aqiilah, explained that this year his team took part in several competitions such as the Autonomous Programming Competition, the Off-Track Award, and the On-Track Award. Furthermore, in the Off-Track Award category, the ITS Antasena Team will participate in several sub-themes such as Simulate to Innovate, Carbon Footprint Reduction, and Data Telemetry.

Members of the ITS Antasena Team checked during the Antasena Alpha car trial before competing at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit, Lombok, NTB

Ghani continued, for the On-Track Competition in the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Prototype category, this team will field the 8th generation car, namely Antasena Alpha. This car is designed to use three wheels with an aerodynamic body shape and lightweight construction materials. “Carbon fiber material is used so that the car has adequate construction strength while being able to accommodate many components,” he explained.

Prepared since October 2022, this team has carried out various developments to improve the car’s performance compared to the previous year. Several aspects such as the power train, engine, and transmission system did not escape the view of the team guided by Sutarsis ST MSc PhD. “Evaluation, research, and test drives are stages that are continuously carried out so that this car has the best efficient value,” he said.

The ITS Antasena team who are committed to making ITS proud at the Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2023 event

Regarding the level of efficiency, this environmentally friendly car is targeted to be able to travel 500 kilometers per cubic meter using hydrogen fuel. The targeted value far exceeds the performance of the Antasena Alpha car last year, up to two times. “If achieved, this will validate the innovations and research conducted to develop the entire system for this car,” said the student of the ITS Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering.

Ghani hopes that this year the ITS Antasena team can bring home the first place to ITS. According to him, this activity can be a springboard for the development of hydrogen cars in Indonesia, especially at ITS. “This competition will be an encouragement for the ITS Antasena Team to continue to innovate and contribute to the development of hydrogen technology in Indonesia,” he concluded. (ITS Public Relation)

Reporter: Ricardo Hokky Wibisono