This week, we distill insights around the Shell Eco-marathon - a collaborative social innovation challenge that inspires students and young engineers around the world to design the next generation of fuel-efficient vehicles. 100+ thinkers and planners within MSLGROUP share and discuss inspiring projects on social data, crowdsourcing, storytelling and citizenship on the MSLGROUP Insights Network. Every week, we pick up one project and do a deep dive into conversations around it -- on the MSLGROUP Insights Network itself but also on the broader social web -- to distill insights and foresights. We share these insights and foresights with you on our People’s Insights blog and compile the best insights from the network and the blog in the iPad-friendly People’s Lab Quarterly Magazine, as a showcase of our capabilities. For more, see: http://peopleslab.mslgroup.com

1. crowdsourcing | storytelling | citizenship | social data
People’s Insights Volume 2, Issue 10
Shell Eco-marathon

2. People’s Insights
100+ thinkers and planners within MSL- In 2013, we continue to track inspiring
GROUP share and discuss inspiring proj- projects at the intersection of social data,
ects on social data, crowdsourcing, story- crowdsourcing and storytelling, with a fo-
telling and citizenship on the MSLGROUP cus on projects that are shaping the Future
Insights Network. Every week, we pick up of Citizenship.
one project and curate the conversations
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Every quarter, we compile these insights,
along with original research and insights
from the MSLGROUP global network, into
the People’s Insights Quarterly Magazine.
We have synthesized the insights from our
year-long endeavor throughout 2012 to
provide foresights for business leaders and
changemakers — in the ten-part People’s
Insights Annual Report titled Now & Next:
Ten Frontiers for the Future of Engage-
ment.
People’s Insights People’s Insights People’s Insights
weekly report quarterly magazines Annual Report
Volume 2, Issue 10, Future of Shell
January - March, 2013 Citizenship Eco-marathon

3. What is the Shell Eco-marathon?
The Shell Eco-marathon is collaborative social sustainable mobility. In recent years, Shell
innovation challenge that inspires students and has begun opening up the event to the public
young engineers around the world to design through offline labs at the Shell Eco-marathon
and build the next generation of fuel-efficient in Europe and the Americas, an online Shell
vehicles. The Shell Eco-marathon traces its Energy Run Game on Facebook, and a series of
roots to 1939 when it was an internal challenge blog posts and videos documenting behind-the-
amongst employees. Now, the eco-marathon scenes action.
takes place annually in three continents – the
Americas, Europe and as of 2012, Asia. Students
compete for cash prizes and the opportunity to
set new records.
Shaun Stone, team manager, Aston University noted:
“The purpose of the competition is to go as far as
possible on 1 litre of fuel, with off track awards for
aspects such as sustainability and design also
available.”
Through the eco-marathon, Shell aims to inspire Source: Shell Eco-Marathon Legacy
a new generation of engineers passionate about
Source: shell.com
The initiative has achieved significant scale – 513 teams from 45 countries are participating in the Shell
Eco-marathon this year.
How it works
Students spend a year in designing, building and
testing their vehicles. Students can choose from
two classes of vehicles and seven types of fuel:
“The Prototype class focuses on maximum
efficiency, while passenger comfort takes a back
seat. The UrbanConcept class encourages more
practical designs Cars enter one of seven categories
to run on conventional petrol and diesel, biofuels,
Source: facebook.com/groups
fuel made from natural gas (GTL), hydrogen, solar
or electricity.”
Finally, students compete in the annual race on
Shell uses Facebook as its central platform of city streets or on a professional circuit:
coordination, with invite-only groups for each
“Over several days, teams make as many attempts
region. Here, students and Shell representatives
as possible to travel the furthest on the equivalent
answer technical questions and clarify contest
of one litre of fuel. Cars drive a fixed number of
rules. In addition, Shell uses YouTube to share
laps around the circuit at a set speed. Organisers
information around event logistics, technical
calculate their energy efficiency and name a winner
engineering concepts, and even an animated
in each class and for each energy source.”
video of the track.
3

4. Prepares students for the real
world
The Shell Eco-marathon is a good outlet for
students to test their skills and creations, to face
real world challenges and to explore a future in
engineering and sustainable mobility.
A staff report in The News Star notes:
“The Tech students, who come from many different
Source: Shell Eco-marathon Europe 2012 from Rotterdam academic degree programs, participate in the
project as volunteers and do not get class credit.
Integration at schools and They design, build, paint and test the cars on their
own time, usually in the evenings, after class and
universities on weekends. They also assist with fundraising
Sometimes, students develop the cars over years, and publicity. While employing skills they learn in
as older students graduate and new students the classroom, these students are also developing
join the teams. As a result, universities produce leadership and project management skills that will
multiple, diverse eco-cars and students can build serve them throughout their careers.”
on past efforts.
The team at Chalmers University of Technology
reflected:
“At the competition we realized that it was not that
easy to complete a race, and definitely not to be
competitive. Many teams had spent several years
and (in some cases) several millions and it was
clear that we would have to wait a few years before
we could expect to be among the best.”
Indeed, some schools, like Purdue University,
have been building eco cars since 1993 and
participating in the Shell Eco-marathon since
2008. Purdue Solar Racing even showcased their
eco car at the recent New York International Auto
Show.
Source: stalbertgazette.com
Engineering junior and participant John Rockwell
reflected:
“There’s a lot of stuff I’ve learned on this team
that I wouldn’t be able to normally. Working with
companies and sponsors ... you definitely don’t get
that just sitting in a class.”
Journalist Christine Des Garennes reported:
“The prize is a trophy and $2,000, but the real
Source: pcmag.com
reward, many [University of Illinois] team members
said, has been the learning experience that has
come along with designing the vehicle and working
with a group of students with backgrounds in a
wide range of subjects.”
Faculty advisor of the Saint Thomas Academy
Experimental Vehicle Team Mark Westlake
reflected on the experience:
Volume 2, Issue 10, Future of Shell
January - March, 2013 Citizenship Eco-marathon

5. “Members of your team tend to blossom when The Great Energy Challenge Blog. Participants
given enough time to fail. Students surprised me and Shell community managers contribute to
with how creative they were and how willing they the blog. Many students also document their
are to learn new skills.” own experience and design process online
on Facebook or on team websites and blogs
Engaging the public (Chalmers University of Technology, Aston
University).
Online, Shell engages people around the event
through video series such as the two part “Road In 2012, Shell launched a social game on
to Houston.” Structured like a reality show, the Facebook, the Shell Energy Run Game, that
series documents the behind-the-scenes activity enables people to participate in the Eco-
and challenges faced by the teams in preparing marathon virtually. Players design their own car
for the contest. Other video series feature the and race it on a virtual circuit. The game provides
teams participating or cover live events at the educational tips to help people increase their
various Shell Eco-Marathons. In addition, Shell virtual car’s fuel efficiency, and incorporates
partnered with National Geographic to cover elements like points, trophies and a leaderboard
the eco-marathon on National Geographic’s to keep people playing.
Source: facebook.com/Shell
Offline, Shell has organized activations like the Mobility Footprint Zone at the Shell Eco-marathon
Americas and the Het Lab at the Shell Eco-marathon Europe.
Writer Flori Meeks covered the experience in the
Americas:
“New this year is an interactive learning experience
for visitors. Activities include a “Mobility Footprint
Zone” with a kinetic dance floor where visitors can
race toy cars powered by salt water, a Formula 1
car display, a self-guided tour through Shell Eco-
Marathon Americas and the mPowering Action
Mobile Recording Studio, where visitors can record
songs or messages about their energy solutions for
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_
the future.” detailpage&v=iDg7rdVW3vw
In Europe, Shell and creative agency Imagination
used RFID cards to make the experience more
interactive and memorable:
“Visitors used RFID cards to store photos, videos
and data from their visit, and could afterwards
‘Replay the Day’ by entering their personal code on
the micro-site.”
5

6. Larger social impact
As collaborative social innovation programs Bloggers and faculty advisors also note that the
become more common, thinkers are beginning to technology developed for the eco-marathon
place more emphasis on measuring success and would eventually enter the mainstream.
finding successful models.
Blogger Vijay noted:
Indeed, Ashraf Engineer, member of the
MSLGROUP Insights Network, noted: “The competing vehicles are highly specialized
and optimized for the event and not intended for
“I think [the Shell Eco-marathon is] a superb idea. every day use. The designs represent what can
The question is this: Will the competition translate be achieved with current technology and offer a
into an actual ultra-fuel-efficient vehicle? The glimpse into the future of car design based on
quest for such a vehicle has been on for decades minimal environmental impact in a world with
and prototypes have been paraded in automobile reduced oil reserves. Nevertheless, the work of
shows for years. Yet, there are hardly any successful the participants can still be used to show ways
models.” manufacturers could redesign their products.”
Participants note that the eco-marathon has Purdue University team’s faculty advisor and
helped inspire a new generation of environment mechanical engineering professor Galen King
conscious engineers. Several participants have said:
gone on to intern or work not only at Shell, but
also the larger engineering industry. “I don’t think we’ll see these cars on the road, but
the tech used in them will always be incorporated.
High school junior and participant Jake Nyquist Carbon fiber material, computer-integrated control
reflected: systems, electric propulsion—you’ll see all those
“It’s very valuable, especially for high school components.”
students. There are all sorts of students who would
never consider going into engineering as a career,
or looking at fuel consumption, without this.”
Volume 2, Issue 10, Future of Shell
January - March, 2013 Citizenship Eco-marathon

7. People’s Lab:
Crowdsourcing Innovation & Insights
People’s Lab is MSLGROUP’s proprietary comment on other people’s content and
crowdsourcing platform and approach that collaborate to find innovative solutions.
helps organizations tap into people’s insights for
innovation, storytelling and change. The People’s Lab crowdsourcing platform
and approach forms the core of our distinctive
The People’s Lab crowdsourcing platform insights and foresight approach, which consists
helps organizations build and nurture public of four elements: organic conversation analysis,
or private, web or mobile, hosted or white MSLGROUP’s own insight communities, client-
label communities around four pre-configured specific insights communities, and ethnographic
application areas: Expertise Request Network, deep dives into these communities. The People’s
Innovation Challenge Network, Research & Insights Quarterly Magazines showcase our
Insights Network and Contest & Activation capability in crowdsourcing and analyzing
Network. Our community and gaming features insights from conversations and communities.
encourage people to share rich content, vote/
Learn more about us at:
peopleslab.mslgroup.com | twitter.com/peopleslab

8. For People’s Lab solutions, contact
pascal.beucler@mslgroup.com