Certain Uncertainity

With all but the braking system for Primus in place, the prototype by Emenents is nearing completion. The chassis has been dispatched to AWC - I don't know what that stands for, and I doubt I'd be authorized to reveal if I knew - for body fabrication.

Kaar, meanwhile, has a huge problem - but luckily just one. Things are looking up.

Sadly, we are also short of time, as the deadline we are looking at is 6th June. And short of funds and publicity too - despite promises from MVRDE and Geo, details of which I can not divulge till after I graduate - and so, there is definite uncertainity these days.

There are serious question marks on whether we will be able to showcase and run our vehicles at the Sepang International Circuit. Anyhow, we are hopeful as ever.

Onwards, EMENENTS!

Setback for Kaar

Big setback for Kaar as our drivetrain risk of directly coupling the engine with the wheels doesn't pay off. Back to the workshop for Kaar!

:-(

Primus Inter Pa..Pa..Pa..res

Work is slow. Progress is on. No, hang on...work is progress and on is slow. Yes, that's right. But...Primus is hopefully a day or two away from hitting the roads. We'll bring the photos and videos soon.

What else? Well, there's a lot going on...and not exactly everything is worth reporting. And things that are need so much censor, I shouldn't write about them in the first place. Anyway, we'll be having regular blurs in the irregular transmission as we get into the final count-down for vehicle shipment.

21-05-2011

That was yesterday. And an eventful day.

1. Meeting with Shell Pakistan. I said they are the busiest people on earth. They had another meeting with us yesterday. The idea: to check whether our vehicles conformed to the rules. The stupid git from Shell had to read from a checklist everything we all knew from heart. The Shell Eco Marathon rules. See, I told you they are the busiest people on earth.

To make up for his embarrassment, the guy grilled us on safety and Shell's Goal Zero - whatever that is. He made some funny faces, told us to converse in English, and got the hell out of here.

2. Meeting with Shafiq Sabri, the CEO or whatever of Sabri Logistics, the guys who transport vehicles to Malaysia. He made a long - read again, long - and read again, long - speech on different matters. Perhaps, we'll dedicate a post to him some time soon.

3. We are pleased to acknowledge that Kaar ranked in 2nd at the Bahria University's business plan competition, Bizignition! Bravo men...keep it going.

Bizignition!

NUST DISCOVER decided to snub Kaar without entertaining any requisite documents, on the ground that the team was incomplete. Oh tempora! Oh mores! Oh our stupid formalities!

Even so, our this year's additions to the team presented the business model at Bahria University's business plan contest, Bizignition, and were among the 6 finalists. Finals tomorrow.

Forza Emenents!

Meeting with Shell Pakistan

There is no entity - organization, suborganization, an institution, a set of individuals, anyone - working harder towards the Shell Eco Marathon, than Shell Pakistan. They are setting up meetings!

So today, the three teams from EME College had a meeting with Shell Pakistan. A delegation of EMENENTS led by Malik Basharat and Sohaib Afzal met with Shell Pakistan to discuss the progress, the problems, and everything else.

Apparently, there is a 'health-check' of the vehicles tomorrow. One wonders what these mentors (born as mentors just a couple of months before the competition) can offer...but, well...let's find out tomorrow.

The turning wheels

We have reinvented the wheel. Ok, we haven't done that either.

News is that Primus and Kaar are nearing completion and that both have wheels and freedom to move. We are working. Buzz off.

Forward Emenents!

A show of blessed chauvinism

Someone, let's say, very close to Primus and Kaar gave this wonderful idea.

If and when we travel to Malaysia (or anyother place that requires flying over a certain hostile neighbour), someone to kindly remind us to use the toilet when we cross over the international boundary into India. A sign of our love for our neighbour.

We would wish at that instance that the sewage disposal system in aeroplanes was like that in Pakistani trains.

The Commandant

I am in love (the platonic variety). With the Commandant. Definitely NOT that of the College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. But of the Pakistan Naval Engineering College.

Here are 10 things that are/were good about him:
1. He doesn't have an SO he doesn't deserve.

2. He had rank but no apparent arrogance.

3. He didn't create a fuss at not being seated at the head of the conference table.

4. He can sit at a conference table and not suffer from acute Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
5. He didn't have an army of suck-ups to accompany him all the time. Even some of the time.

6. He could sit alone in a sofa and have lunch all by himself.

7. He seemed to have enough sense not to butt-in in matters he had no knowledge.

8. He had enough sense not start building unnecessary roads all over PNEC.

9. He had enough sense not to convert the college's cafeteria into an accomodation for the bearers.

10. He had enough wisdom not to interfere with student affairs to be point of making them abhor their institution.

Drive Train adjustment for Kaar

I am told that Kaar is to undergo an adjustment in the drive train. After consultations all round, it was decided to remove the chain-drive system with a spur-gear system.

My God have mercy on Kaar!

The Automotive Corporate Advisory Committee

There is a group of individuals who, once in a...well, once a meeting is arranged, sit all around a conference table and think they know what's best for the students of the National University of Sciences and Technology. This is the Corporate Advisory Committee of NUST.

NUST has also established a Corporate Advisory Council (CAC) comprising experts
from academia, industry and commercial organizations from Pakistan and
around. The CAC guides NUST on future trends in Industry and topics of
collaborative research

Maybe these guys do know what's best for the students. Or maybe, they don't. In either case, on the pretext of presenting the sacred work NUST students are doing in developiing fuel efficient vehicle, I had the chance of attending a session of the Automotive CAC.

But as it turned out, there were few agenda points: School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME) at NUST is great. Give it's students internships.

The discussion, on the other hand, was quite enjoyable. One representative of Indus Motors (I think) felt that engineering students should be imparted managerial skills too. There seemed consensus that guest speaker session were the most potent way of doing this! The director of SMME, opined that students at SMME were being taught Professional Ethics which would make them better managers!

The guy with an american-accent was perhaps in the wrong CAC meeting. He wanted everything extended to non-engineering disciplines as well.

Then we had some chicken-patties, a roll and a little pastry, after which we were expelled from the meeting. Top secret stuff.

Anyway, EMENENTS and four other teams presented their vehicles, got nothing to fill their kashkols (begging bowls), and went home.

Presentation at CAC??!!!!!!!

Presentation in Karachi on 12th May to some Corporate Advisory Committee....
Dublew-tee-eff??!!!!!!!

Update: first trickle of cash (on loan against an amount to be provided by PSF) arrives. Future detractors, note now!

Where the EMENENTS are getting it wrong

Let's see...some 20 or so days remain till the vehicles should be shipped.

We are ages behind where we should be. It is not this, however, that concerns me. What does is that we aren't moving at all these days. The progress slow, the coffers empty and the motivation levels are at their lowest since...well, the time they were second-to-lowest.

EMENENTS awaken. We don't want to get this wrong now!