Team ReNew
| Formation | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Founded at | Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Type | Student engineering team |
| Purpose | Design hydrogen fuel cell prototype vehicles |
| Headquarters | KCT Garage, Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore |
| Location |
|
Region served | Asia-Pacific and Middle East (Shell Eco-marathon) |
Membership | 14 members (2026) |
Team Captain | Aswin Karthik Vijayakumar |
Vice-Captain | Dhanasri M R |
Driver | Shobika |
Parent organization | Kumaraguru College of Technology |
| Affiliations | Shell Eco-marathon Asia-Pacific and Middle East |
| Remarks | Best result: 3rd place, 277 km/m³ H₂ (Qatar, January 2026) |
Team ReNew
Team ReNew is a student engineering team based at the KCT Garage of Kumaraguru College of Technology (KCT), Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. The team designs, fabricates the hydrogen fuel cell prototype vehicles in the Shell Eco-marathon Asia-Pacific and Middle East, a competition organised by Shell plc in which student teams compete to achieve the highest possible fuel efficiency.[1][2]
At the 41st Shell Eco-marathon Asia-Pacific 2026, held at the Lusail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar from 21 to 25 January 2026, Team ReNew finished in third place in the Prototype – Hydrogen Fuel Cell category, recording an efficiency of 277 km/m³ of hydrogen.[3][4][5] The team was described as the first Indian entrants to secure a podium finish in the hydrogen prototype category at the competition by independent news reports.[1][2][3][4]
Background
Shell Eco-marathon
The Shell Eco-marathon is an international student engineering competition sponsored by Shell plc in which participants design vehicles to achieve the greatest possible fuel efficiency, expressed as distance per unit of energy consumed.[6] The competition includes two vehicle classes — Prototype (ultra-lightweight, unconstrained aerodynamic design) and Urban Concept (road-representative body) — and three energy categories: battery electric, internal combustion engine, and hydrogen fuel cell.[6] The Asia-Pacific regional event, which from 2024 merged with the Middle East edition, has been hosted at venues including the Lusail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar, and previously at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit in Lombok, Indonesia.[1][6]
Kumaraguru College of Technology
Kumaraguru College of Technology is a private engineering institution in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, established in 1984 under the Ramanandha Adigalar Foundation. It holds an A++ grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and is accredited by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The KCT Garage is the institution's facility for automobile research and development, from which Team ReNew designs and fabricates all competition vehicles.[1][7]
History
Formation and first vehicle (2023–2024)
Team ReNew was founded in 2023 at the KCT Garage with the aim of designing hydrogen fuel cell prototype vehicles for the Shell Eco-marathon Asia-Pacific.[3][4]
The Hindu reported in June 2024 that the team had built its debut vehicle, Thimi (ReNew 1.0), over a period of eight months. The vehicle was designed by eight students and featured a carbon fibre monocoque structure with PVC foam for impact absorption, inspired by the aerodynamic form of the dolphin. It was powered by a Spectronik 375 hydrogen fuel cell with 57% electrical efficiency at 250 W, and used a BLDC mid-drive motor.[1] The team captain at the time, Prathish Subu, described the vehicle's construction as prioritising "both performance and safety" through "low drag coefficient".[1]
Thimi competed at the 39th Shell Eco-marathon Asia-Pacific, held at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit in Lombok, Indonesia, in July 2024. In that edition, the team did not pass the mandatory technical inspection required to compete on track.[5]
Second vehicle and 2025 competition (Thimi 2.0)
Following the 2024 campaign, the team undertook a comprehensive redesign. The Hindu reported in February 2025 that the second-generation vehicle, Thimi 2.0 (ReNew 2.0), had been built in five months by a team of 14 members — 13 engineers from KCT and one student from Kumaraguru College of Liberal Arts and Science (KCLAS).[7] The vehicle was constructed using upcycled PVC foam sandwiched between carbon fibres, and weighed 53 kg — described by the team as significantly lighter than conventional scooters.[7] Approximately 80% of the vehicle's components were fabricated in-house at the KCT Garage.[7]
Thimi 2.0 passed all stages of the technical inspection and competed on track in that edition.[5]
Third vehicle and 2026 podium (ReNew 3.0)
The third-generation vehicle, ReNew 3.0, was developed over approximately ten months of research and development at the KCT Garage.[2][3] The team was officially flagged off from Coimbatore on 9 January 2026 before travelling to Qatar for the 41st Shell Eco-marathon.[4]
The 2026 project received support from Kumaraguru Institutions and several industry partners. The 14-member team designed and fabricated the majority of vehicle components in-house, with the exception of the motor and hydrogen fuel cell unit.[2][3]
Vehicle and technology
Design philosophy
Each generation of Team ReNew's competition vehicle has taken aerodynamic inspiration from a biological organism, a practice known as biomimicry. Thimi / ReNew 1.0 (2024) was modelled on the dolphin;[1] Thimi 2.0 / ReNew 2.0 (2025) retained the carbon fibre–PVC foam composite construction with an evolved aerodynamic profile;[7] and ReNew 3.0 (2026) drew inspiration from the kingfisher.[3][4]
Technical specifications
The following specifications are drawn from independent news reporting across all three vehicle generations.[1][7][2][3][4]
| Specification | ReNew 1.0 / Thimi (2024) | ReNew 2.0 / Thimi 2.0 (2025) | ReNew 3.0 (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle weight | 53 kg | 53 kg | 45 kg |
| Weight reduction vs. prior model | — | — | −8 kg |
| Composite structure | Carbon fibre monocoque with PVC foam | Carbon fibre–PVC foam sandwich (upcycled) | Basalt fibre–PVC foam sandwich |
| Fuel cell | Spectronik 375 (57% efficiency at 250 W) | Hydrogen fuel cell | Horizon 500 XP hydrogen fuel cell |
| Motor type | BLDC Mid-drive | BLDC | Grin Motor (BLDC Hub) |
| Biomimicry reference | Dolphin | — | Kingfisher |
| Team size | 8 members | 14 members | 14 members |
| Build duration | 8 months | 5 months | ~10 months |
| Recorded efficiency | — | — | 277 km/m³ H₂[5] |
The ReNew 3.0 employed a basalt fibre composite structure — a material derived from volcanic basalt rock, noted for its structural performance and lower environmental impact relative to conventional carbon fibre. The vehicle was powered by a brushless DC (BLDC) hub motor and a hydrogen fuel cell as the primary energy source, with supercapacitors used for intermediate energy storage to smooth power delivery during acceleration and transient load changes.[2][4] The vehicle's drag coefficient was progressively reduced across generations through iterative aerodynamic optimisation, contributing to improvement in fuel efficiency between models. The team's approach to sustainable mobility using hydrogen energy aligns with broader global research into zero-emission vehicles.[2]
Competitions
| Year | Edition | Venue | Vehicle | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 39th Shell Eco-marathon Asia-Pacific | Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit, Lombok, Indonesia | Thimi (ReNew 1.0) | Prototype – H₂ Fuel Cell | Did not pass technical inspection[5][1] |
| 2025 | 40th Shell Eco-marathon Asia-Pacific & Middle East | Lusail International Circuit, Doha, Qatar (8–12 February 2025) | Thimi 2.0 (ReNew 2.0) | Prototype – H₂ Fuel Cell | Completed technical inspection; competed on track[5][7] |
| 2026 | 41st Shell Eco-marathon Asia-Pacific & Middle East | Lusail International Circuit, Doha, Qatar — 21–25 January 2026 | ReNew 3.0 | Prototype – H₂ Fuel Cell | 3rd place — 277 km/m³ H₂[2][3][5] |
The team completed all stages of the pre technical inspection at the 2026 competition before undertaking competitive on-track runs. The hydrogen fuel cell prototype achieved an officially recorded efficiency of 277 km/m³ of hydrogen, placing the team in third position in its category.[5][3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "Coimbatore: Kumaraguru student team builds hydrogen-powered vehicle". The Hindu. Coimbatore. 2024-06-03. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 ANI (2026-01-26). "Kumaraguru Institutions secures historic podium finish at Shell Eco-Marathon 2026 in Qatar". ANI News. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 ANI (2026-01-26). "Kumaraguru Institutions secures historic podium finish at Shell Eco-Marathon 2026 in Qatar". The Tribune. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 "Kumaraguru's Team ReNew secures historic podium at Shell Eco-Marathon 2026 Qatar". Simplicity. Coimbatore. 2026-01-26. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 "Team ReNew / KCT — competition results". Shell Eco-marathon Official Results Portal. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Shell Eco-marathon". Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 "Thimi 2.0 to take part in Doha Shell Eco-marathon Asia-Pacific". The Hindu. Coimbatore. 2025-02-06. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
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