Thai youths compete in ‘EV Hackathon’, a creative contest to celebrate 160th anniversary of Thai-German diplomatic relations

The competition was in line with the theme of the 160th Thai-German anniversary - “Partners for Sustainable Growth” and in support of the electric vehicle industries which is one of the trending approaches to cope with present global challenges such as energy, pollution and climate change issues.

Moreover, the competition presents a great opportunity for stakeholders and new generation in Thailand to acquire knowledge and modern technology in electric vehicles from the German side, furthering Thailand's capability to be an EV production hub in Asia. The constructive and creative ideas from the contestants also promote the 30@30 policy of Thailand which aims to reach 30 percent of total EV car production by 2030.

The EV Hackathon received much attention from Thai and foreign students from various institutions. A total of 103 teams with 3 students per team (309 students) participated in the online training sessions. The teams then presented their ideas online during the elimitation round. 16 teams made it to the semi-finals, and after another round of presentations, 8 teams were selected for the grand final.

On August 27, during 21 hours of hackathon competition at the KMUTNB, the 8 finalist teams had brainstormed, while receiving guidance from 8 EV-related experts, to find solutions to the given problem on “Invent solution of sustainability in Bangkok Metropolis with EV Mobility Technology”. 

The winners are as follows;

- The grand prize winner: Team ACDC from Chulalongkorn University.

The team’s solution involved the conversion of Thailand’s mini public transportation mobility called Krapor Car into Electric Krapor Car together with the Artificial Intelligence computing to find the shortest route to transfer passengers from small Sois or alleys to the destination or skytrain station. This solution aims to alleviate the traffic issues within Bangkok’s high density or Superblock areas.

- The first-runner up: Team PorMayJedai from King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok. 

The team proposed the connection of KMUTNB and Skytrian station via E-Shuttle Bus and E-Scooter rental services by using mobile application to manage the reservation and rental E-Scooter.

- The second-runner up: Team Bangmod representative from King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi. 

The team showcased the electric motocycle rental service for people who live in the Superblock areas around the King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi.

- The honorable-mentioned 5 teams: Team Thunder EV from Chulalongkorn University, Team EVT-028 from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Team Wagen Toretto from Chulalongkorn University, Team KUXEV from Kasetsart University, and Team CHARGEGEN from Chulalongkorn University.
 

In addition to receiving the award plaques and certificates for the top 3 teams, and certificates for the 5 honorable-mention teams, all 8 finalist teams received cash prizes as educational fund from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and KMUTNB as follows: the grand-prize team received 100,000 baht, the first-runner up 50,000 baht, the second-runner up 25,000 baht, and honorable mention teams 15,000 baht each.

Keys to the competition’s success came from relevant stakeholders’ directives in pushing forward Thailand’s proficiency in EV innovation, as well as reflecting the commitment of Thailand and Germany to sustainably advancing the automotive industry with clean energy.

Ultimately, the competition’s success was made possible by not only the trilateral partnership of the Department of European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, KMUTNB, and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Thailand, as well as the nation-wide enthusiam of the participants, but also by the acknowledgment and participation of stakeholders from academic, public and private sectors such as Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), Electricity Generation Authority of Thailand (EGAT), KMUTNB ALUMNI Association, PORSCHE (Thailand) Ltd., Schaeffler Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Covestro (Thailand) Co. Ltd., BMW (Thailand) Co., Ltd., B.Grimm Power Public Company Limited, Robert Bosch Ltd., Symphony Communication Public Company Limited, QTC Energy Public Co., Ltd., Bangchak Corporation Public Company Limited, Mercedes Benz (Thailand), Ltd., SCG Foundation, LAMY (Thailand), TUV RHEINLAND (THAILAND) CO., LTD., and SIEMENS Ltd.