The Horas Team from Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) secured second place in the Shell Eco Marathon competition held in Manila, Philippines. Horas was one of Indonesia’s representatives, alongside teams from Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, and Institut Teknologi Bandung.
“One of our product specializations is an ethanol-powered vehicle,” said Arie Matius Bangun, a USU student, during an interview at the Presidential Office, Jakarta, on Wednesday (30/9). The ethanol-powered vehicle is designed as a three-wheeled city car, deemed suitable for urban lifestyles.
Arie, a final-year student, explained that their research was supported by local government and industries, enabling them to participate in the international competition. However, he hopes the government can provide more support to their campus, especially in terms of laboratory equipment and computerized tools for research purposes.
Dr. Himsar Ambarita, a lecturer from USU’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering who accompanied the team, revealed that the students often compensate for equipment shortages by building their tools manually. “The lab equipment is quite outdated, and the students have to stay up late crafting handmade tools,” said Himsar. He added that some of the equipment still dates back to the 1970s and 1980s.
In a separate occasion, Minister of Research, Technology, and Higher Education, M. Nasir, acknowledged that one of the biggest challenges for young innovators is the lack of infrastructure at their campuses. “The biggest obstacle is the infrastructure at each university,” said Nasir. He noted that one of the best machine research laboratories is currently owned by Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Surabaya.
Nasir emphasized the importance of developing learning and laboratory facilities to support students’ achievements. “Our hope is that once the research is completed, student innovations can reach level 7 and be applied in industries. We urge mentors to encourage this progress,” he concluded.