When: April 9-12, 2015
Registration deadline: Nov. 17, 2014 (for the Americas competition)
Where: Downtown Detroit, Michigan
Level: High school, technical school, and college students

Could your school design and build a car capable of  squeezing 2,824 miles from a single gallon of gas?

That’s the impressive milestone achieved by a fuel-efficient vehicle developed by students from the University of Laval in Québec, Canada, in the 2014 Shell Eco-marathon Americas. The car was one of 120 in the competition, which drew more than 1,200 high school and university students from Brazil, Canada, Guatemala, Mexico.

Created to spur innovation, the global event challenges student teams to choose from a variety of fuel sources and develop game-changing solutions by competing to see who can travel the farthest distance using the least amount of energy. Participants receive travel stipends, with winners taking home cash prizes.

Teams can compete in one or both categories: Prototype (futuristic designs) and UrbanConcept (roadworthy, fuel-efficient vehicles).

The Prototype class focuses on maximizing fuel efficiency through innovative design elements, such as drag reduction. The UrbanConcept class aims to meet the real-life needs of drivers and are closer in appearance to the higher-mileage cars seen on roads today. For both vehicle classes, teams can use diesel, gasoline, ethanol, FAME, and hydrogen and battery electric technologies.

Click here to register today or contact Shell Eco-marathon’s organizers with questions. Check out the videos from last year’s competition and visit the website for additional information.

Filed under: Competitions and Contests, Special Features

Tags: Cars, Contest, Energy, fuel-efficiency, race, Shell Eco-marathon, STEM education