Vote Kencana Gen2 for People’s Choice Award

Hi guys, here we have an extremely blockbuster news to share with you all. We are really needs your help yo win this exclusive award by Shell to the team that compete in Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2011 on 7th-9th July 2011 at Sepang International Circuit (SIC). It is People's Choice Award!

Its only a simple award rewarded to any teams that got the highest VOTE click for their team. Do you?

Vote for UKM

Just click on VOTE button here, People's Choice Award for Race #205 and support us to win this award by share this link among your friends.

We representing UKM for this competition, so we are really needs our beloved UKM friends to support us then stand on the stage as a winner next July at SIC.

Just remember us, UKM-CAR2 Kencana Gen2 with the lucky racing number #205.

"Fuel Cell Empower Our Future"

Read More

Impressive Look of Kencana Gen2 and Progress Update

After weeks of hard work to build the car body, finally it pays off. The fabricating process for base body is finish and its was the first look of the real shape for our car body.

The laminating process is the toughest step we faced in the car fabricating process. Before we start the process, the drawing by layers and every measurement for each hole on the body should determined first.

First, we laminate the body separately before combine it in other laminating process. This is because the shape of base body is very hard to de-mould. In this process, we use several types of carbon layers. We were guided by the supervisor in the making process. To make sure the carbon layer is attach on mould, we apply the resin as a "glue" on each carbon layer.

After all the carbon layers are attached, we put a 'breather' - a cotton-like layer that function to suck the excessive resin in the carbon layer. Then, we cover all the layer and mould with vacuum plastic before we start the vacuum process. To make sure there is no hole on the vacuum plastic, we use a micro speaker to detect the sound from the small hole and put a double layer on the hole so that the vacuum process can be done successfully.

All the pictures above show how the demould process were done. On this stage, we must be careful and always check there is no defect in the mould for the second times to use it. After the body completed, we will trim and do the finishing process. This is the final process and surely, we put a lot of time here to make sure our car body is really attractive and look beautiful.

This is a little explanation about our progress to produce a car body from the design on paper become a real car body in front of our eye. We realise, to make sure everything goes like planned, we must put a lot of effort. And this is a good challenge for our team to gain lots of experiences especially we get to involved directly in the actual industry working environment.

On behalf of team KencanaGen2, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia send our gratitude to Mr.Sam, our supervisor on laminating process, Mr.Affanul, our supervisor on design and programming for CNC milling process and Mr. Vinzenz Klapper, a practical student from Germany's university that helped us in every part of process of our car body.

One more thing, please VOTE us in People's Choise Award on Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2011 by clicking LIKE here, People's Choise Award. Your LIKE is really valuable to us and thank you to everyone that always support us.

"Fuel Cell Empower Our Future"

Read More

Fuel Cell Empower Our Future

To think about the most complete energy for our future and generations, fuel cell is the best answer for it. No doubt on that, our country Malaysia should start from now to research and develops as fast as possible in fuel cell technology in the way to compete with the others country especially in energy consumption. The continuous practice of research and development (R&D) on fuel cell energy is a very important because our goal is to make them an affordable and reliable alternative energy solution in the future.

So, from this points our team UKM-CAR2 know Shell Eco-Marathon 2011 is the good stage to show and prove how possible this alternative energy been use in this country. We take a responsibilities for the research and passionate to prove automotive fuel cells be one of the most viable technologies capable of achieving a significant long-term reduction in carbon dioxides emissions from motor vehicles and relieving us from our dependence on foreign oil.

To know more how reliable vehicles powered by fuel cell, let's watch this video.

Our government, through Ministry of Science, Technologies and Innovation should be more open and moving forward onto this matter. We see only with the intensive collaboration between government, industry, suppliers and research institutes, this industry-changing technology in automotive applications and built our future automotive manufacturing capability can be successfully implemented.

The best idea is our national car company, PROTON should take part actively in this development and gained worldwide attention. Do PROTON?

As we know, we only have several fuel cell research institute like Institut Sel Fuel UKM and the others. This conditions is lame and did not give any good return back to Malaysia in fuel cell research. So, the development of this alternative energy in our country will be slow and cannot effort the future's desire. To make this more competitive and attractive, our government should make an investment in automotive fuel cell pilot manufacturing infrastructure and hydrogen infrastructure development.

Increase the number of fuel cell research institute is the realistic idea especially in each universities, government research institutes, automotive company and energy-based company. This is important so that the investment will go into the right place to develop our future energy rather continuously depend on petroleum-based fuel.

We know and very understand, why this type of energy should give more space to develop in Malaysia. In the way to achieve Vision 2020, we should put more effort and make sure fuel cell will become the first choice energy in future.

Fuel Cell Empower Our Future!

Read More

[Update]- Kencana Gen2 Body Fabricating Progress

Hello guys, the pictures as follow shown our car body fabricating process and a brief explanation about this process.

On 24th May 2011, our lecturer visit us at the factory to discuss and ensure everything is on track.

Above is the process to produce a bulkhead by using vacuum method on the layer of carbon and core cell. All this layer was combined by using a resin. After a vacuum process, we cure the bulkhead in oven then use jigsaw to cut the exceed carbon layer and core cell and get the beautiful shape of bulkhead. After finish the cutting process, we told to do the strength test to make sure our bulkhead is fulfill the specification of Shell Eco-marathon 2011.

This is our mould for lower car body that is still in progress and we work on it  really hard to make sure our car body is precise to our design dimension. After the milling process, we cover around the mould with fast-hardening resin to make sure the foam is really hard and strong. After that, we spray the 'primer', a chemical-form liquid on the foam after the resin is semi-dry. For the time being, this is our progress and hope we'll always on track and finish the process in schedule.

We hope you guys enjoy to see all this pictures and read a bit explaination how to build a car body using a composite material. We are really enjoy working here at the composites factory and learnt a lot of new things here. 

We will always update our progress here, so you guys can spread this word to your friends and show your support to us in way to promote the alternative fuel that is Fuel Cell. Do not forget to LIKE our official Facebook page and please promote it to all your friends guys!

Read More