Canadian university wins 2010 Shell Eco-marathon Americas

CALGARY, March 29 /CNW/ - Laval University for the second year in a row won the grand prize in the "Prototype" category at the 2010 Shell Eco-marathon Americas this past weekend in Houston, Texas. The student-built, fuel-efficient vehicle achieved the farthest distance using the least amount of fuel with an astonishing 1,057.5 kilometres per litre, or 2,487.5 miles per gallon.

In the "UrbanConcept" category, the team from Mater Dei High School in Evansville, IN also took the grand prize for the second year in a row by achieving 185.87 km/l or 437.2 mpg.

"There was a lot of tough competition this year, plus, participating in this challenge on the street course for the first time was also a whole new experience for us," said Bruno Leduc of Laval University. "But we put a lot of time and energy into our vehicle this year and are very proud of how we did. We are so excited to be the 2010 Shell Eco-marathon Americas champions!"

Overall, 42 student teams competed in the 2010 Shell Eco-marathon Americas(R), a challenge for students to design, build and test fuel-efficient vehicles that travel the farthest distance using the least amount of fuel. More than 400 students were on hand in downtown Houston to stretch the boundaries of fuel efficiency and participate in the first-ever street course challenge for the Americas event.

Other participating Canadian schools included Dalhousie University, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, University of Ottawa and Ecole de technologie superieure (University of Quebec Engineering School).

With 48 vehicles testing on the Houston street course, competition was steep. This year's challenge brought together a number of returning teams determined to beat the winning 2,757.1 mpg (1,172.2 km/l) achieved by Laval University (Quebec, Canada) in 2009, combined with a number of new teams adding fresh innovation and vehicle designs to the competition.

"It was so fun to see all the innovative vehicles out on the streets of downtown Houston this year," said Mark Singer, global project manager for the Shell Eco-marathon. "The Shell Eco-marathon allows students to let their imaginations run wild, which is what we love to see. It takes all of us to help find solutions to meet the world's energy challenge, and there's no better time to start making energy innovations and efficiency a priority."

Student teams were invited to participate in either the Prototype or UrbanConcept categories. For the Prototype category, teams entered futuristic prototypes - streamlined vehicles focused on maximizing fuel efficiency through innovative design elements, such as drag reduction. For the UrbanConcept category, teams entered more "roadworthy" fuel-efficient vehicles. Aimed at meeting the real-life needs of drivers, these vehicles are closer in appearance to the cars seen on roads today. For both categories, teams could use any conventionally available energy source - including fuels such as diesel, gasoline and liquid petroleum gas (LPG), as well as alternative fuels such as hydrogen, biomass and solar.

The 2010 Shell Eco-marathon Americas roster contained 42 teams from 9 high schools and 28 universities from across the Americas. Additionally, two guest teams from Italy joined the roster with their Prototype and UrbanConcept vehicles.

The Prototype entries included 28 vehicles powered by combustion engines, five by fuel cell/hydrogen technology, two by solar power, and two by diesel fuel.

The UrbanConcept entries included six vehicles powered by combustion engines, two by diesel fuel, one by fuel cell/hydrogen and one by solar power.

    
    Category winners for the 2010 Shell Eco-marathon Americas include:
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    Prototype
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Grand Prize - Combustion Engine

With mileage of 2,487.5 mpg (1,057.5 kilometers per liter) the Alerion Supermileage team from Laval University in Quebec, Canada won a US$5,000 grand prize with their vehicle, NTF 4.0.

Fuel Cell/Hydrogen

The Cicero North Syracuse High School team from Cicero, N.Y. achieved 780.9 mpg (331.99 km/l) in its Clean Green Machine vehicle.

Solar Power

The Solar Racing Team team from Purdue University took first place with its solar vehicle, Pulsar, which achieved 4,548 mpg (1933.5 km/l).

    
    UrbanConcept
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Grand Prize - Combustion Engine

With mileage of 437.2 mpg (185.87 kilometers per liter) the Mater Dei High School's Supermileage team from Evansville, IN won a US$5,000 grand prize with their vehicle, George.

    
    Special Awards for the 2010 Shell Eco-marathon Americas
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Achieving the best fuel economy in a category wasn't the only way to win at the 2010 Shell Eco-marathon Americas. Teams were also given the opportunity to compete for one or more Special Awards, including:

    
    People's Choice Award
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Purdue University's Pulsar vehicle took home the "People's Choice Award" with an incredible 97,076 votes! Granite Falls High School received second place with 88,377 votes for their Iron Maiden vehicle and third place with 54,357 votes for their Phillipe's Bulldozer vehicle.

    
    Eco-Design Award
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A special "Eco-Design Award" was presented to the University of California, Los Angeles team for their reuse of so many vehicle parts. Their special design not only contributed to the fuel efficiency of their Frankenstein vehicle, but incorporated repurposed materials into the vehicle and production process.

    
    Safety
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The "Safety Award" recognized three teams who made the most extensive efforts to comply with the safety regulations of the Shell Eco-marathon Americas. This award went to Monrovia High School, Benton High School and Granite Falls High School. These teams all demonstrated safety as a top priority in vehicle designs and construction.

    
    Technical Innovation
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The winner of the "Technical Innovation Award" goes to Purdue University for their patent pending carbon fiber construction technique. Their solar cell encapsulation preserves flexibility allowing integration with the vehicle's curved body shape.

    
    Design
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The 2010 Shell Eco-marathon Americas "Design Award" was presented to Louisiana Tech University. This award recognized their innovative design research related to ergonomics, aesthetics, choice of materials and technical feasibility. The originality and overall coherence of their design were also taken into account.

    
    Communications
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This award recognized the Purdue University team who made outstanding communications efforts concerning the Shell Eco-marathon. All actions throughout the year are taken into account: participation at trade shows, creation of a Web site and all other activities that successfully promote the competition, its name, its founding principle, its educational aspects, etc. in the team's country of origin.

    
    Best Team Spirit
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The "Best Team Spirit Award" was presented to the Louisiana Tech University team who fostered cooperation and collaboration among their team and others at the competition. Not only did they demonstrate initiative to learn more about other teams and contribute to the morale at the competition, they also brought an incredible alumni group out to the event.

    
    Perseverance in the Face of Adversity
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The "Perseverance in the Face of Adversity Award" was presented to University of Missouri. Despite operating without sleep, they showed a can-do attitude and kept smiling each day at the Shell Eco-marathon Americas.

The 2010 Shell Eco-marathon Americas event sponsors included the City of Houston, Autodesk, Michelin, Pennzoil, and SKF USA Inc. Event photos, complete results and videos are available at www.shell.com/ecomarathon.

The Shell Eco-marathon Americas energy challenge will return to the streets of Houston in 2011.

Shell Canada, operating in Canada since 1911, is one of the largest integrated petroleum companies in the country. A leading manufacturer, distributor and marketer of refined petroleum products, Shell Canada produces natural gas, natural gas liquids and bitumen and is Canada's largest producer of sulphur.

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