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Streets ahead: students apply their knowledge on fuel efficiency to design and race eco cars

Imagine designing and building a car to go as far as possible on the least amount of fuel. Sound challenging? More than 3,000 students from across Europe did exactly that, putting their driving skills and scientific knowledge to the test on a brand new street circuit designed for the 2012 Shell Eco-marathon. inGenious teachers and European Schoolnet team members attending a workshop in Rotterdam over the time of the marathon got to see the race in action.

“It was very exciting to see cars designed by students taking to the streets and I was impressed by the mix of male and female in most teams. They were able to see their ideas in action and compare them with those of other teams from other countries,” said Rinske van den Berg, inGenious Project Manager at European Schoolnet.

181 teams from over 20 countries competed in the 2012 Shell Eco-marathon Europe. Team Microjoule from France mastered the new urban circuit to achieve the equivalent of 2,833 kilometres on one litre of fuel, the same as driving from Paris to Valencia and back. Three records were broken, by Danish, French and Dutch teams.

See the cars and hear from the winners here.

The challenge was held on city streets for the first time, making it accessible for the public to experience the challenge first-hand and for students to apply their knowledge on fuel efficiency to the public road.

Shell Eco-marathon is one of the world’s most innovative and challenging student competitions held annually in Europe, America and Asia. High school and college student teams from around the world are challenged to design, build and compete with energy efficient vehicles. The winner is the team that goes the farthest distance on 1 kWh or 1 litre of fuel. Shell Eco-marathon brings together current and future leaders and people who are passionate about finding sustainable solutions to the world’s energy challenge. Shell Eco-marathon is a visible demonstration of Shell’s commitment to help the world meet its growing energy needs in a responsible way by working together with students and partners around the world.

Various events around the challenge are organised at the venue to engage and inspire European citizens who are interested in the future of our energy and the technologies to meet our future needs.

Peter Voser, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell plc, adds: “Shell Eco-marathon is all about working together on sustainable solutions to the world’s energy challenges. Through the creativity of a new generation of engineers and a partnership with the city of Rotterdam, we aim to showcase Europe’s talent in designing innovative approaches to the future of energy.”

Want to learn more? Get a feel for the event through the short video.