Environment

French team smashes five year efficiency record in eco-marathon

French team smashes five year efficiency record in eco-marathon
A five year Shell Eco Marathon fuel efficiency record has been smashed by a team of French students.
A five year Shell Eco Marathon fuel efficiency record has been smashed by a team of French students.
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Team Polyjoule won second prize at last year's Eco Marathon
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Team Polyjoule won second prize at last year's Eco Marathon
The jubilant French team after smashing the five year record
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The jubilant French team after smashing the five year record
The Polyjoule hydrogen-powered prototype
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The Polyjoule hydrogen-powered prototype
After smashing the five year record on the first day, the French team added to the kilometers again on the last day of the event
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After smashing the five year record on the first day, the French team added to the kilometers again on the last day of the event
A five year Shell Eco Marathon fuel efficiency record has been smashed by a team of French students.
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A five year Shell Eco Marathon fuel efficiency record has been smashed by a team of French students.
2010 Shell Eco Marathon winners
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2010 Shell Eco Marathon winners
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A five year Shell Eco Marathon fuel efficiency record has been smashed by a team of French students. Team Polyjoule broke the record on the first day of the event and then went on to break its own record by a further 482 kilometers. But the students still expect even more from their hydrogen fueled vehicle and are already looking toward next year's Marathon.

ETH Zurich of Switzerland achieved the equivalent of 3,836 kilometers on just one liter of fuel in 2005, and set a bar that no-one has been able to top - until now. A joint effort by Polytech Nantes and Lycée La Joliverie smashed the record on the very first day of this year's Eco Marathon, recording 4,414 kilometers on the equivalent of one liter of fuel (10,382 mpg).

Team Polyjoule had a shaky start which threatened to hamper any attempts, after their hydrogen-powered prototype broke down during pre-marathon testing. Once they pooled resources with Lycée La Joliverie, however, they proceeded to stomp all over the Swiss record. The feat is said to have been made possible by enhancing their vehicle’s electronics monitoring system, which minimizes energy loss.

After smashing the five year record on the first day, the French team added to the kilometers again on the last day of the event
After smashing the five year record on the first day, the French team added to the kilometers again on the last day of the event

The French students were not quite finished with Shell's Eco Marathon, though, which saw over 200 teams taking part. On the very last day of the annual event, they added another 482km to their own record, traveling the new official world record of 4,896.1 kilometers per liter of fuel - a distance "roughly the equivalent of driving from the head to toe of Europe, from the North Cape in Norway down to the toe of the Italian peninsula."

The jubilant French team after smashing the five year record
The jubilant French team after smashing the five year record

Polytech Nantes team leader Pauline Tranchard praised the team effort, which saw the students not only set a new world record but also take first place in the fuel cell category, which led them to an overall first place victory. "Five years’ research went into getting us to 4,896 kilometers on one liter of fuel," she said. "Our insight and the wealth of experience that our colleagues from the Lycée de La Joliverie de Nantes brought to the table were both instrumental in helping us reach what many might have considered an unattainable goal."

Tranchard believes that the team can do even better but will have to wait until next year to prove it.

2010 Shell Eco Marathon winners
2010 Shell Eco Marathon winners

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1 comment
1 comment
matthew.rings
4 km per milliliter... just incredible.

That\'s about an 1/4 of a kilometer (or about 1/8 of a mile) PER DROP of fuel. Wow. (assuming 20 drops per milliliter).