Kumaraguru’s Team ReNew secures historic podium at Shell Eco-Marathon 2026 Qatar

Team ReNew from Kumaraguru Institutions has achieved a historic milestone by securing third position at the 41st Shell Eco-Marathon – Asia Pacific 2026, held at the Lusail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar, from January 21 to 25. The student team made history as India’s first-ever entrant in the Hydrogen Fuel Cell – Prototype category to finish on the podium.

Competing against leading universities from across the Asia-Pacific region, Team ReNew translated classroom learning into a race-ready, net-zero hydrogen-powered vehicle, underlining India’s growing capabilities in sustainable mobility and clean energy innovation. The Shell Eco-Marathon is a globally recognised competition that challenges students to design, build and operate the world’s most energy-efficient vehicles.

Team ReNew’s success was the result of nearly ten months of intensive research and development carried out at the KCT Garage. The hydrogen fuel cell prototype, inspired by the aerodynamics of a kingfisher bird, met stringent technical and safety standards while delivering consistent on-track performance throughout the competition.

The podium-winning vehicle featured an advanced basalt fibre composite structure, enabling an ultra-lightweight design of just 45 kg, representing a 21 kg reduction from the team’s earlier model without compromising strength. Powered by a BLDC hub motor system and supported by an optimised energy management strategy, the vehicle achieved an efficiency of 277 km per cubic metre of hydrogen, highlighting the potential of clean hydrogen-based propulsion.

The 14-member multidisciplinary team was led by Captain Aswin Karthik, with Vice-Captain Dhanasri, and piloted by Shobika. The students designed and fabricated nearly every component of the vehicle in-house, with the exception of the motor and fuel cell, demonstrating strong hands-on engineering capability.

The project, valued at approximately ₹42 lakh, received support from Kumaraguru Institutions and industry partners including Propel Industries, Thriveni, CoASTT, JA Motorsport and Horizon. The team was officially flagged off from Coimbatore on January 9, 2026, by Kurichi Kumar, Technical Advisor, Propel Industries, marking the start of their international journey.

Team ReNew’s podium finish at Shell Eco-Marathon 2026 stands as a significant achievement for Indian student engineers and reinforces Coimbatore’s growing reputation as a hub for innovation, sustainability and advanced engineering education.