About the Marathon
The Shell Eco-marathon...
- challenges students around the world to design, build and test vehicles, which travel further using less energy.
- is an educational platform which encourages innovation, reinforces conservation and fosters the development of leading technology for greater energy efficiency.
- is a global forum for current and future leaders, who are passionate about finding sustainable solutions to the world’s energy challenge.
- is a visible demonstration of Shell's deep commitment to face head-on the growing demand for energy worldwide in a responsible way. It is an invitation to others to follow their example.
The principle of the Shell Eco-marathon is simple: to design and build a vehicle which uses the least amount of fuel to travel the farthest distance. On all events, teams can introduce futuristic prototypes: streamlined vehicles, where the only design consideration is reducing drag and maximizing efficiency. In Europe, the special category of more realistic “UrbanConcept” vehicles was designed to meet the needs of today’s drivers. Conventional fuels such as diesel, petrol/gasoline and liquid petroleum gas, as well as alternatives like GTL, solar, ethanol, hydrogen and biofuels can power the vehicles. As long as teams adhere to safety rules, the design of their vehicles is limited by nothing but their imagination.