The UGM Yacaranda team has emerged as the overall champion in the Indonesia Electric Car Competition (Kompetisi Mobil Listrik Indonesia or KMLI) held from November 6 to 8, 2023, at the Bandung State Polytechnic.
This competition involved 24 teams from 22 universities in Indonesia. It featured two categories: the racing category, including acceleration, braking, slalom, hill climb, and endurance, and the concept design category, covering construction design, technological design, innovation, and a business plan.
Tri Agus Anggoro, the captain of Yacaranda, explained that the team achieved the overall champion title by winning six awards from the two competition categories.
The achievements in the racing category include 1st place in acceleration and 1st place in hill climbing by the team led by Tri Agus Anggoro (Vocational College), An’amta Shobrin (Vocational College), Sahriar Hilmi (Mathematics and Natural Science), and Andreas Anggara Wibisono (Vocational College).
In the design category, they secured 1st place for technological design concept, 3rd place for construction design concept, 2nd place for innovation concept, and 1st place for the business plan concept. These accomplishments were achieved by Angga Alfian Parmadi (Vocational College) and Jeremy Christian Muwardi (Vocational College).
“I am proud we can maintain the overall champion title after the last competition in 2019, which was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said on Monday (November 13) during an interview with reporters.
The victory of the Yacaranda team was not easily attained. Preparation took several months, involving research and numerous trial-and-error attempts to achieve the targeted results.
Moreover, during the competition, the team faced rapidly changing weather conditions. This situation required the Yacaranda team to think quickly and devise strategies during the race.
“During the competition, it rained, so it was postponed until it subsided for safety reasons. The wet track conditions after the rain differ from when it’s dry, so it significantly impacts the car’s performance,” said Anggoro.
“We had to brainstorm and devise strategies to ensure the car could still compete at its maximum during the race.”
In the 2023 competition, the Yacaranda team launched an electric-powered formula car named Super Sekip EV 3 Evolution.
This car is the fifth creation of the Yacaranda team, resulting from developing and modifying previous generations to enhance its performance during competition.
The specifications were also adjusted to comply with competition regulations, ensuring it passed technical inspections for engine and body compliance.
Anggoro revealed that the Super Sekip EV 3 Evolution car has advanced features supporting the team’s success, including a telemetry monitoring system.
“The telemetry system is added so the team can remotely monitor the vehicle, such as controller temperature, battery capacity, car speed, and more,” he explained.
The car also features a five-point seatbelt for driver safety. It is equipped with a lithium LTO battery with a 48-volt capacity for energy supply, allowing a range of up to 22 km. The propulsion system uses a 2,000-watt motor.
“This electric car has a speed of 80 km/h, and during the competition yesterday, it was able to cover a distance of 30 meters in 3 seconds,” he added.
The Yacaranda team is one of the interdisciplinary student communities at UGM, comprising students from the Vocational College, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, and Faculty of Social and Political Sciences. The team focuses on researching and developing electric cars and energy-efficient cars.
The existence of this community is a concrete manifestation of UGM’s support for sustainable development goals (SDGs), especially in the field of transportation technology and raising students’ awareness of environmental and energy issues, particularly in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by creating environmentally friendly technology.
Author: Ika
Photographer: Firsto