Universitas Indonesia (UI) Supermileage Vehicle (SMV) Team has once again become Indonesia’s pride after winning the 2025 Shell Eco Marathon Asia-Pacific and Middle East competition. In the event held at the Lusail International Circuit, Qatar, February 8–12 2025, SMV UI sent two teams, namely Nakoela and Arjuna, both of which managed to bring proud achievements. The Nakoela Team won 1st place in the Prototype Hydrogen Vehicle Category, while the Arjuna Team won 4th place in the Urban Battery Electric Category.
UI Rector, Prof. Dr. Ir. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU, said that the achievements made by SMV UI prove that UI students are not only superior in academics, but also non-academics. “This achievement made by SMV UI is not the first. Last year, in the same event, the Nakoela and Arjuna Teams also achieved achievements by being in the top ranks. UI is proud of this achievement at the international level, hopefully, SMV UI’s victory can ignite the spirit of other students to also create impactful innovations for the country,” said Prof. Heri.
In the competition, SMV UI explored every aspect of design and technology by using Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills to build an ultra-efficient car and bring it to the racetrack in the competition. Thanks to its innovation, SMV UI managed to excel from 750 participants who were members of 61 teams from 16 countries in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
In the competition, the Nakoela Team consisted of eleven people, namely Haidar Satrio W. (Team Manager), Haydar Mahdi K. F, Orlean Timothy, Rafi Evansyah S., Timothy Jonathan, M. Rafa Rizkia, M. Daffa W., Taqiyya Najla S., Raisya Putri R., Naysilla Salsabillah, with F. X Godwin as the racer. Meanwhile, the Arjuna Team consists of nine people, namely Rafael Sinema H. (Team Manager), Jericho Christian P., Rainer Rakha E., Ahmad Fatih F., Kaisar Syaddad D., Fathia Ainina J., Ahmad Fariz K., Keyla Arista, with Bimo Putra D. as the racer.
SMV UI General Manager, Abdullah Iman, said that the achievements of the two teams were not without challenges. During the preparation for this competition, there were two things that were their main challenges, namely technical and non-technical. “Technically, 2025 is the first year for the Nakoela Hydrogen Series. It is very challenging because, for the first time, we have to develop a car that we have made for about 1-1.5 years. As for non-technical, the biggest one is shipping, because the costs are high and we were confused at that time about what shipping mode to use,” said Imam in an interview.
According to him, SMV UI’s victory in the Shell Eco Marathon Competition not only honed skills, but also encouraged the production of sustainable technological innovations. The team was challenged to produce a car that is efficient in energy use, but still able to compete in racing events. Imam hopes that SMV UI will continue to develop hydrogen prototype cars to achieve maximum efficiency, so that they can be used and felt by the general public in the future.
Dean of FTUI, Prof. Kemas Ridwan Kurniawan, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D. gave his appreciation for SMV UI’s achievements in the competition. “FTUI is very proud of the achievements of the Nakoela Team and the Arjuna Team at the Shell Eco Marathon Asia Pacific and Middle East 2025. This success proves the capacity of FTUI students to design innovative and efficient clean energy-based mobility solutions. Hydrogen technology in Prototype vehicles and the Battery-Electric system in the Urban Concept have the potential to have a significant impact on the future transportation industry. If adopted by the industry, this innovation can be an important step in accelerating the transition to more sustainable low-emission vehicles,” he said.
