Questions & Answers
On this page, we answer frequently asked questions of our readers:
I'd like to buy a single part for my car to run more efficient.
The whole vehicle is optimized to use as little fuel as possible.
Each part is optimized regarding size, weight, flow resistance or dimension to fit perfectly in the vehicle, constructed specially for the Shell Eco-marathon. The very same part in a standard car therefore doesn't save you any fuel.
Several thousand kilometers with just one litre of fuel, that sounds rather phantastic! How can that be possible?
There are several reasons for that.
On the one hand, there is the special construction of the car. Being a one-man-car with a total weight of about 60kg, it is very light. It consists of very light material such as carbon fibre. There are no redundant elements such as radio, air conditioning or servo steering. The flow resistance and friction has been reduced to a minimum. Mostly small women or even children are selected as drivers to reduce the weight aditionally.
On the other hand, there is a special way of driving the car. The motor is running only if it is really needed. If the vehicle is rolling downhill, the motor is off.
Therefore it is important, that the driver has a very good knowledge of the track to develop the ideal driving tactic.
Do you use standard parts or do you build everything by yourselves?
It depends on if there are any parts available that stand up to our specific needs. The chassis is widely constructed from the scratch. Naturally, all teams try to find parts they can either use directly or adapt to their needs.
Often standard parts are replaced by customized ones over the years.
Are there any aims to build such a vehicle roadworthy?
This is a frequently asked question and what's more, a very interesting one.
In times of a constantly rising oil price, empty households, pollution and global warming, the necessity of energy efficiant cars using renewable engery resources can't be denied anymore.
But the industry has a lot of catching up to do. The automotive industry lacks motivation and innovative solutions.
However, the teams already have concrete plans. The regulations of the Urban Concept class are close to standard cars. Promising innovations and clever solutions will originate from this competition in the coming years.
The results are always shown in kilometers per litre. Even in the results of the hydrogenor ethanol cars. Isn't this wrong?
No. That's correct. To be exact, it should say "equivalent to the fuel value of one litre petrol". The used amount of other fuels is converted into the reference fuel "Shell-Super-Benzin".
How can I support the Shell Eco-marathon or how can I join a team?
The participating teams are thankful for every kind of help. Simply contact a team nearby. But always keep in mind that you need to put a lot of effort into a project like this, while not becoming famous or rich by doing so. All teammates are highly motivated idealists, who are working on their project with heart and soul. Financial interests stand back and team spirit is an important part. There are various fields where you can involve, such as the catering service for your team members. There are organizational jobs as well, where you should be able to speak French for races in France. There are technical jobs like ‘driver’, which should be performed by a smaller and lighter person with good driving skills. Public relations, documentation (reports, photos, videos, etc.) and taking care of the web page are tasks which need to be done as well. Just contact the teams for further information.
I would like to take part in the marathon by myself. What do I need to do?
There is plenty of information on the Shell web presence (http://www.shell.com/eco-marathon/) concerning the registration as well as the regulations of the event. If you have further questions, please contact either Shell or a participating team directly. Please note: The Shell Eco-marathon is a competition mainly designed for pupils and students. To be eligible for admission into the competition, Shell prefers the teams to come from educational institutions.
How do the teams self-finance?
Mainly through sponsoring or the budget given by their school or university. Some of the team members finance parts of the project with private money.
Can I take a holding in the event as a sponsor?
Sponsors are absolutely welcome at any time! Just contact the teams.
We are a participating (new) team and we would like to present ourselves on your web page. How can we do that?
That’s great! You need a password, which can be enquired by email. If you are uncertain about it, we offer to put it online for you. Just send us all the information you want to post online. We won’t charge you for that service at any time – no costs, no commitments.