Students Made a Car That Gets a Staggering 2,713 Miles per Gallon – Futurism

Posted: May 23, 2017 at 10:18 pm

In Brief A prototype car took home the top trophy for a fuel efficiency competition organized by Shell: it gets an incredible 2,713 miles per gallon. Extreme Fuel Efficiency

While electric vehicles (EVs) are steadily gaining ground, the majority of the cars on the road todayare still gas-powered. Gas prices, however, arent exactly getting cheaper. So, while we work towards transitioning from fossil fuel-based vehicles tocleaner alternatives, it certainly helps to find ways to make the cars we have now more fuel efficient. Students from the Universit Laval might just have a solution.

As an entry for this years Shell Eco-marathon Americas, the Laval students developed a prototype vehicle that could run for 2,713 miles per gallon (mpg) on a Detroit, Michigan test track. Their vehicles outstanding performance landed them this years top trophy. The competition gives students a chance to design vehicle concepts that maximizes efficiency using various fuels, including everythingfrom gasoline to hydrogen fuel cells.

In winning the overall competition, Universit Laval defeated 114 other rivals vying to see whose vehicle could travel the farthest distance on the equivalent of a gallon of gas, according to a press release for the event. While the Laval teams achievement was no small feat, it wasnt able to outperform last years champion car from the University of Toronto which covered an astounding 3,421 mpg.

Better fuel efficiency could translate to less fossil fuel vehicle consumption. While this could count as a win for the environment, fossil fuels remain one of the leading contributors to climate-warming emissions. As such, doing away with them completely is athe ultimate goal.

While it may feel like it, its not an impossible task: over the past months, fossil fuels are losing valuein terms of price, and seeing reducedefficiency compared to their renewable counterparts. EVs, while still only covering a relatively small share of the automobile industry, are set for a major take over. The increased interest from veteran automakers likeVolkswagen, Chevrolet, and Honda is a testament to the future of EVs. And soon, they may not evenbe the only alternatively fueled vehicles available: one automaker in China is working on a car that runs on solar power.

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Students Made a Car That Gets a Staggering 2,713 Miles per Gallon - Futurism

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