GM claims that the Chevy Volt can get 230 MPG under city driving conditions, but that’s nothing compared to the 2,487 MPG squeezed out of a combustion engine-powered prototype vehicle built by students at Laval University. The school took home the grand prize in Shell’s annual Eco-Marathon Americas for the second year in a row — last year Laval set a 2,757.1 MPG record.
The Laval Team’s vehicle took the Grand Prize in the Prototype category (along with $5,000), but it was far from the only impressive entry. The Purdue University Solar Racing Team clocked in at 4,548 MPG with the Pulsar solar vehicle, the Cicero North Syracuse High School achieved 780.9 mpg in the fuel cell-powered Clean Green Machine, and the Mater Dei High School team snatched the Grand Prize in the UrbanConcept category for its 437.2 mpg (185.87 kilometers per liter) vehicle, dubbed George.
The Prototype category featured futuristic vehicles aimed at maximizing fuel efficiency with innovative design elements, (i.e. drag reduction). The UrbanConcept category offered up fuel-efficient vehicles closer to vehicles seen on the streets today. The entrants in both categories give us hope for the future of transportation — take a look!
+ Shell Eco-Marathan
Via Green Car Congress
