More than a 1,000 students participate in 10th Shell Eco-marathon Americas

The 10th Shell Eco-marathon Americas event drew a record 124 teams from seven countries to Detroit last Sunday.

The Université Laval team from Quebec regained the title from its Canadian rival, the University of Toronto, in a battle to see which custom-built, ultra-energy-efficient vehicle would travel the farthest distance using the least amount of energy.

The Laval team recorded 2,585 miles per gallon with its gasoline-fueled prototype, but that mark fell short of its record 3,587 mpg set in 2013. The University of Toronto team, whose vehicle finished with a best run of 2,364 mpg, had hoped to surpass its chief competitor's mark on its final attempt, but its vehicle failed to start.

More than 1,000 students from a record 124 teams representing seven countries – Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the United States – competed over three days with two classes of vehicles.

The event began 31 years ago in Europe and in addition to the Americas competition, Shell Eco-marathon is held annually in Europe and Asia. The unique competition challenges students around the world to design, build and drive the most energy-efficient cars.