Team recovers from on-track crash for 3,421 miles per gallon win
on day's final run
DETROIT, April 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In this
global auto capital that sparked automotive innovation a century
ago, two Canadian universities battled for the second year in a row
Sunday to see which would win the 2015 Shell Eco-marathon Americas
ultra-energy-efficient student mileage challenge. In a reversal
from a year ago, a University of
Toronto team came from behind in the last efficiency run to
edge Quebec's Universite Laval
team, a perennial favorite that had won two years in a row and in
five-of-the-last-six years.
Toronto's Supermileage Team 2
achieved the equivalent of 3,421 miles per gallon (mpg), besting
the Quebec team's 3,365 mpg
posting in the gasoline category of the sleek Prototype class. The
Quebec team held the lead over the
Toronto car all day Sunday until
the final run of the day.
Mater Dei High School from
Evansville, Ind., the only team to
unseat Laval in recent years, came
in third.
This year's 30th anniversary event drew 113 teams,
representing over 1,000 high school and university students, from
across the Americas – Brazil,
Canada, Guatemala, Mexico and the
United States. Of the teams entered this year, 51 vehicles
were fielded by high schools and 62 came from universities.
Before hitting a new and hilly track through the streets of
downtown Detroit, teams had to
make tweaks and, in some cases, major adjustments to pass detailed
technical and safety inspections. Indeed, of 111 teams that made it
to the inspections, only 89 passed. The track also proved
challenging for student drivers who had to steer their low-slung,
futuristic vehicles through sharp turns and elevation changes as
spectators cheered them from the sidelines.
"A little more than 100 years ago, just two blocks away, there
was a young fellow by the name of Henry Ford working on his
quadricycle. He tested it on these streets where he achieved 10 to
20 mpg at the time," said Detroit
Mayor Mike Duggan. "When you
consider the achievements of these bright young minds, creating
vehicles of the future that can travel more than 2,000 miles on a
single gallon of fuel, I am amazed at the progress and inspired by
what the future may hold."
In addition to the top three top-performing vehicles—all in the
gasoline Prototype category—teams entered vehicles using diesel,
ethanol, electric battery, compressed natural gas, gas-to-liquids
fuel and hydrogen power. Other winners:
- Prototype diesel: The No Spark Plug Allowed team from
Sullivan High School in Sullivan, Ind., for the second consecutive
year, achieving 1,436 mpg.
- Prototype electric battery: Mater Dei High School's
Supermileage 3 car posted 449 miles per kilowatt-hour (m/kWh).
- Prototype hydrogen fuel cell: Wheat Ridge High School, of
Wheat Ridge, Colo., whose vehicle
achieved 151 miles per kilowatt-hour m/kWh.
- Prototype alternative fuels: University of
Colorado Boulder surpassed Universidade Tecnologica Federal
do Parana from Brazil, whose Tatonkatoo vehicle achieved 841
mpg using ethanol.
- UrbanConcept diesel: The Knights 3 team from Alden-Conger High School in Alden, MN achieved 507 mpg.
- UrbanConcept alternative fuels: A second for Alden-Conger High School, Alden-Conger
Supermileage Team vehicle achieved 288 mpg.
- UrbanConcept gasoline: Mater Dei Supermileage, of Evansville, Ind., whose vehicle achieved 484
mpg.
Recording the best fuel economy in a category wasn't the only
way to win at Shell Eco-marathon Americas 2015. Teams were also
given the opportunity to compete for one or more special awards,
including awards for safety, design and team spirit:
- Safety Award: For the second consecutive year, Shopgirls, from
Granite Falls High School, showed outstanding focus on their
work-space cleanness and personal protective equipment for their
Prototype diesel vehicle.
- Communications Award: The Eco-Lancers, from Livingston High
School in Livingston, NJ competed
in the Prototype gasoline category and implemented an impressive
array of communications efforts and activities to promote their
Shell Eco-marathon project.
- Perseverance and team spirit award: Braham High
School of Braham, MN worked
diligently throughout the entire event successfully passing
technical inspection with all three of their vehicles. They also
took time out to help other teams while working on their
vehicles.
- Vehicle Design Award: Alden Conger High School Supermileage
team was recognized for innovative design research in terms of
ergonomics and aesthetics.
- Technical Innovation: The Duke Electric Vehicles team from
Duke University demonstrated
outstanding initiative and technical ingenuity along optimal use of
new materials in the drive train chassis and tires.
"This year's event in Detroit
has been everything we imagined it would be; showcasing innovation,
human ingenuity, teamwork and perseverance," said Niel Golightly, vice president of external
relations for Shell Americas. "Through the competition, together
with our partners, Shell challenges future engineers to think
creatively and act practically with hands-on opportunities to
stretch the boundaries of energy efficiency. There is no doubt that
these students have a bright future ahead and will positively shape
transport and mobility in the years to come."
The weekend event – its first in Detroit -- also included an interactive,
multi-sensory experience, which drew thousands of families inside
Cobo Center for a virtual journey through more than 100 years of
motoring innovation and a behind-the-scenes look at student
vehicles. Visitors also enjoyed various live performances and daily
prizes, including a Free Fuel for a Year sweepstakes. Houston hosted the event the previous five
years.
Shell Eco-marathon Americas is made possible through our
Partners in Innovation: HP, Linde, Michelin, Team Penske, The Henry
Ford, Southwest Resource Inc., Quicken Loans and local partners:
the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau and the
City of Detroit.
Shell Eco-marathon Americas will return to Detroit in 2016. For more information on all
2015 events across the globe, including the complete Americas 2015
roster, schedule and official rules, please visit the Shell
Eco-marathon website at www.shell.com/ecomarathon. Also, images
from the Detroit event are
available for download here. To obtain high quality b-roll footage,
contact the media hotline.
About Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company is an
affiliate of the Royal Dutch Shell plc, a global group of energy
and petrochemical companies with 93,000 employees in more than 90
countries. We deliver a diverse range of energy solutions and
petrochemicals to customers worldwide. These include transporting
and trading oil and gas, marketing natural gas, producing and
selling fuel for ships and planes, generating electricity and
providing energy efficiency advice.
We also produce and sell petrochemical building blocks to
industrial customers globally, and we are investing in making
renewable and lower-carbon energy sources competitive for
large-scale use. In the U.S., we operate in 50 states and employ
more than 20,000 people delivering energy in a responsible
manner.
About Shell Eco-marathon
Shell Eco-marathon is a
global program that challenges high school and college student
teams to design, build and test the most energy-efficient vehicles.
With annual events in the Americas, Europe and Asia, this innovation competition pushes
future scientists and engineers to travel the farthest distance
using the least amount of energy. Shell Eco-marathon Americas
2015 took place April 10th-12th
on the streets of Downtown Detroit
and is free and open to the public. Visit www.shellecomarathon.us
to learn more about this weekend of free programs for all
ages.
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