Perodua’s Eco-Challenge 2017 (PEC 2017) has reached its halfway point. Earlier today, representatives from the 5 central Malaysia universities involved came to Perodua’s HQ in Rawang to discuss their progress.
The university representatives present were from University Malaya, Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UNIKL), University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), University Teknologi Mara (UiTM), and University Malaysia Pahang (UMP).
For those unfamiliar with the programme, PEC is all about giving local university students a chance to find a solution that’s relevant to the car industry. Whether it’s how hot cars get under direct sunlight or making more efficient engines, students involved have to conceptualize and create a solution with Perodua offering mentoring support. This means that the project is managed directly by the universities. Whatever funding and time allocated must be used prudently for a successful outcome.
All five universities reported that PEC 2017 had had an overall positive impact on the students. The programme has been ongoing for years now, and many of the universities involved have been a part of it from the beginning.
This year, the biggest hurdle for the students have been time management. With the sheer number of holidays and the pressure to achieve high grades at class, many students have had to sacrifice something for their PEC 2017 projects.
While some universities only involved their Faculty of Engineering, others saw collaboration between faculties. Regardless of the strategy taken, PEC 2017’s real-world approach to problem-solving and project management will be a boon for these students when the time comes to job hunt.
Moving forward, the universities are all expected to complete their PEC 2016 projects by November this year. The hope is that in future, PEC’s impact can be further strengthened by making it a region-by-region challenge. This would give universities an opportunity to collaborate with one another, resulting in final products that incorporate the resources of all ten participating institutes rather than 10 smaller projects that may or may not have a bigger part in the OEM scene.
