Shell Eco-marathon 2011 pushes fuel efficiency to the limit

Seventy teams from eighteen high schools and thirty-one universities across North America will participate in Shell Eco-marathon® Americas 2011. The challenge is to push the boundaries of fuel efficiency and see which team can go the farthest using the least amount of energy.  Shell Eco-marathon Americas, takes place April 14-17, 2011 on the streets of downtown Houston.

Shell Eco-marathon is part of Shell’s “Smarter Mobility” program, aimed at meeting the needs of today’s drivers as society faces an increasing demand on energy for transport. While alternative energies such as hydrogen and advanced biofuels have real potential, there will not be enough of these energy sources to make a measureable difference for another decade or more. Shell continues to bring technical advancements to meet transport challenges in ways that are efficient, affordable and emit less CO2.

Shell Eco-marathon continues to grow and challenge students to be innovative in their fuel efficiency solutions. In that spirit, an e-mobility category has been added to the 2011 competitions. This category includes both Prototype and UrbanConcept vehicles powered by electric motors using hydrogen, solar or, for the first time, 'Plug-in' battery energy sources. For both classes, teams can use any conventionally available energy source—including fuels such as diesel and gasoline as well as alternative fuels such as hydrogen, biomass, solar and, now, Plug-in electricity.

The winning teams in both the Prototype and UrbanConcept classes receive a grand prize of $5,000 USD for their school. Shell will also have several “off-track” awards again this year, including a “People’s Choice Award,” the “Safety Award,” “Technical Innovation Award” sponsored by Southwest Research and “Eco-Design Award,” sponsored by Autodesk, among others.