A student-built vehicle from Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) delivered one of the highest clean-energy efficiency results at Indonesia’s 2025 Energy-Efficient Car Contest, underscoring the growing role of alternative fuels in the country’s sustainable mobility push.
The Pandawa Team achieved fuel consumption of 276.361 kilometres per litre in the Urban Internal Combustion Engine–Ethanol category at the competition, which was held from Oct. 23 to Oct. 27 and organised by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology in cooperation with the University of Jember. The result placed the UNNES team fourth in its class and positioned the university alongside institutions actively developing low-emission vehicle technologies.
See also: Indonesia’s UNNES Expands Renewable Energy Use, Boosts Solar Capacity
Ahmad Khusom Kurniawan, general manager of the Pandawa Team, said the outcome would serve as a technical benchmark for future development. “Through this achievement, we will use the results as evaluation and learning material to continue innovating, developing new ideas, and increasing vehicle efficiency. We hope that in future competitions, Pandawa Team can achieve even better outcomes and bring home the championship title,” he said.
KMHE is a national competition that promotes the use of clean energy and efficient propulsion systems through student-led vehicle engineering. The programme begins with administrative checks and detailed technical inspections before race sessions that measure both performance and energy efficiency under controlled conditions.
See also: UNNES Builds Electric Motorcycle to Promote Sustainable and Renewable Transport
According to UNNES, the Pandawa vehicle was engineered with a lightweight chassis, low-drag aerodynamic body and a finely optimised propulsion system designed to maximise the energy output of ethanol fuel. The project was developed through collaboration between students and academic supervisors specialising in clean energy conversion and sustainable transportation systems.
The university said the project supports its contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 7 on affordable and clean energy, SDG 9 on innovation and infrastructure, and SDG 13 on climate action. UNNES continues to promote research aligned with its status as a Conservation and Impact Campus focused on environmental sustainability.
