SEVEN schools have to date expressed their willingness to join the 3rd Shell Eco-marathon for Asia that’s slated on June 29, 2013, in Sepang Malaysia.

Ronald Suarez, Pilipinas Shell NGO and stakeholders relations manager, said the schools are De La Salle University-Taft, Mapua Institute of Technology, University of Santo Tomas, Don Bosco, University of the Philippines, Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) and San Carlos University.

“All have shown interest to join next year’s event,” Suarez said, adding that he is looking forward for a high school or a university in Mindanao to join the annual meet. He said six teams are from four colleges in Manila.

Suarez said that around 2,000 individuals would be joining the annual meet in Malaysia—the last that the country will host the event. The Philippines has won the Eco-marathon’s safety award for three straight years.

“De La Salle University Eco-marathon team Proto won the Technical Innovation Award for their innovative battery management system and the smart cruise control function that electronically ensure the best energy efficiency possible,” Suarez noted. He added that the TIP Mileage team has won the Best in Team Spirit and has built the third most fuel-efficient car in Asia and among the entries in the Philippines after traveling 164 kilometers on a liter of diesel.

Antonio Nebrida Jr., Pilipinas Shell’s media relations manager, said that after Malaysia, the Philippines will be hosting the Eco-marathon, to be held here in February 2014—the centennial year for Shell in the Philippines.

“We hope that more and more Filipino students would continue to join this event, which promotes not only exercise of the brain but also good driving habits,” Nebrida said.

Besides the Philippines, also joining the event are Brunei Darussalam, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, with the largest number of teams coming from the host country. Five other countries joined the Eco-marathon for the first time; Lebanon, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and South Korea.