Eco-Marathon Americas Takes To The Streets

A stroll around the park will have a whole new meaning in spring 2010 when the Shell Eco-marathon Americas heads to Houston, Texas. Walkers, runners and cyclists at Discovery Green will be replaced by cars of the future, as high school, university, and college students test vehicles they have designed and built to see which can go the farthest distance using the least amount of fuel. The 2010 Shell Eco-marathon Americas, taking place March 26-28, 2010, will once again showcase exciting student innovations and futuristic vehicles, but this time on an all-new street course. 

"Bringing the Shell Eco-marathon to our home town of Houston provides the student teams with an all-new setting to stretch the boundaries of fuel efficiency," said Marvin Odum, President, Shell Oil Company. "The Shell Eco-marathon offers young people interested in technology, energy, and transportation a unique, hands-on opportunity to showcase their innovations.  We look forward to seeing these vehicles on the Houston street course.  This is a spectator event this year; I encourage student teams to register and many to come watch and get a glimpse of the future."

Similar to the 2009 event, student teams are encouraged to participate in the "Prototype" or "Urban Concept" categories - or both! The "Prototype" category invites student teams to enter futuristic prototypes - streamlined vehicles focused on maximizing fuel efficiency through innovative design elements, such as drag reduction. The "Urban Concept" category, introduced at the 2009 event, focuses on more "roadworthy" fuel-efficient vehicles.

Aimed at meeting the real-life needs of drivers, these vehicles are closer in appearance to the higher-mileage cars seen on roads today. For both categories, teams can use any conventionally available energy source - including fuels such as diesel, gasoline and liquid petroleum gas, as well as alternative fuels such as hydrogen, biomass and solar.

Registration for the 2010 Shell Eco-marathon Americas is now open. Interested teams are invited to sign-up NOW for a chance to stake their claim in next year's challenge! For more information on all the 2010 events across the globe, including official rules, instructions for registration and details on prizes, please visit the Shell Eco-marathon Web site at www.shell.com/ecomarathon. 

The Shell Eco-marathon began in 1939 at a Shell research laboratory in the U.S. as a friendly wager between scientists to see who could get the most miles per gallon from their vehicle. The winner of that contest barely achieved 50 mpg (21 km/l), and from these humble origins, a more organized competition evolved. In 1985 in France, the Shell Eco-marathon as we know it today was born. In April 2007 the Shell Eco-marathon Americas event was re-launched in the United States, and in 2010, the inaugural Shell Eco-marathon Asia will be held. 

The full line-up of 2010 Shell Eco-marathon events includes:

• 4th Shell Eco-marathon Americas: March 26-28, 2010, on a street track around the Discovery Green in Houston, Texas
• 26th Shell Eco-marathon Europe: May 6-7, 2010, at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz track in Germany
• 1st Shell Eco-marathon Asia: July 8-10, 2010, at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Shell Oil Company, including its consolidated companies and its share in equity companies, is one of America's leading oil and natural gas producers, natural gas marketers, gasoline marketers and petrochemical manufacturers. Shell, a leading oil and gas producer in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, is a recognized pioneer in oil and gas exploration and production technology.  Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Shell group, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies, employing approximately 102,000 people and operating in more than 100 countries and territories.