DETROIT – Hundreds of students from North and South America were in Detroit this weekend to compete in the Shell Eco-Marathon.
The goal of the race isn’t to go the farthest, but the longest on the least amount of energy. Last year’s winning team was able to get 2,600 miles to the gallon.
“We’re trying to optimize all the areas where we think there may be losses and then try to ensure that the losses are kept very minimal,” said Andrew Harper, from the University of Manitoba in Canada.
Shell's Pam Rosen said it made sense to bring the future of mobility to the birthplace of mobility, the Motor City.
Students from University of Detroit Jesuit High School built a battery electric prototype car. Based on a recumbent bicycle, the car was made of aluminum and plexiglass.
In total, 116 teams from eight countries participated in the event. Seven of the teams were from Michigan.
Watch Shawn Ley’s coverage of the event above.