FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

Malang, (4/11) LSO Mechatronics University of Muhammadiyah Malang has never been absent from contributing achievements from year to year. Most recently, Mekatronic Teams 2 and 3 made brilliant achievements at the annual national event of the 2022 Energy-Saving Car Contest (KMHE) which was held at the "Veteran" National Development University in Surabaya. The contest will be held on October 31 - November 3 at the Gelora Bung Tomo Surabaya Circuit. Various teams from well-known universities in Indonesia were also present to compete for the title, including ITS, ITB, UI, UGM, UB, and UMM. The energy-efficient car contest itself is divided into 8 categories, including 4 categories for the urban class and 4 categories for the proto class.

Mekatronic Team 3 with its car "Termit Asphalt" advances in the Ethanol proto category, as well as being a debutant in its category. Unmitigated, the UMM Proto Ethanol team won 3rd place under UM's "Semeru" and ITB's "Rakata". Having experienced DNF (Don't Finish) several times, Asphalt Termites managed to finish in the 2nd and 5th attempts with the highest achievement of 447.80 km/L. "This is an achievement that was obtained with great difficulty, considering that it was not easy for us to reach the finish. Several problems arose such as overtime, problems with the gear, to the clutch lining. Thank God, thanks to the team's hard work and unyielding spirit, we were able to reach the podium," said Dr. Yepy Komaril Sofi'i, ST., MT as accompanying lecturer. The Team Leader, Muhammad Abid Zaini explained that the event was looking for car innovations that didn't require a lot of energy. So, the more energy efficient you use, the greater the chance of winning.

Meanwhile, Mekatronic Team 2 with its flagship car, "Barqun Speed", advanced in the Electric proto class. Before winning 1st place, Mekatronic Team 2 faced fierce resistance from UNJ's "Batavia Elektra" and "Sriwijaya Eco Team" from Unsri. The points that exceeded each other until the end made the atmosphere of the race very tense. Until the end of the fifth attempt, the mechatronics team managed to beat Sriwijaya Eco with a narrow achievement, namely 407 versus 402 km/L. In terms of strategy, one of the team members, Bima Fatureza Yusvana, explained that the competition this time brought many significant innovations and renewal of components. For example, in the aspect of controlling, wiring, tires, and also the legs of the car. In addition, the driver factor also plays an important role in increasing the power efficiency of the car. “Our team chose drivers who were agile and weighed 50 kg. The weight of the vehicle also only reaches 35 kg, so the total is only 85 kg," he said.