Houston - Today, Shell Oil Company ("Shell"), in conjunction with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, announced the selection of the iconic "Motor City" as host for the annual Shell Eco-marathon Americas® challenge beginning in 2015. Shell Eco-marathon is one of the premier design challenges for high school and university students who want to push the boundaries of fuel efficiency. The final Houston event will take place April 25th-27th, 2014 on the streets around Discovery Green Park.
A city whose defining industry is investing in the talent and technology that will shape the future of mobility, Detroit shares the same vision and aspirations as Shell Eco-marathon Americas. Shell Eco-marathon Americas in Detroit will help shape the future of sustainable mobility by uniting the industries and individuals that will help drive a cleaner, brighter future.
The competition, held annually in the Americas, Asia and Europe, provides a real-world environment for students to test vehicles they design and build themselves with the goal of going the farthest possible distance using the least amount of energy. Shell Eco-marathon inspires young scientists and engineers to think about energy efficiency and offers them a platform to work on energy solutions in a practical manner.
"Detroit is the global birthplace of affordable mass mobility. Its engineers, designers, factory workers, and families put the world on wheels and shaped an entire industry," said Niel Golightly, VP of External Affairs, Shell Oil Company. "When we asked ourselves where to host our signature student innovation competition in the Americas, after five successful years growing the event in Houston, Detroit was an easy decision. As we invest in a brighter future, there's no better backdrop than Detroit - a city that is putting its heart and soul into creating its own brighter future."
Around the world, Shell Eco-marathon reinforces the importance of meaningful relationships between industries, corporations and governments in addressing our future energy needs. While Detroit has encountered exceptional adversity, its resilience and entrepreneurial spirit has helped the city endure challenging times and re-emerge stronger than ever. The city has a storied past of world-changing breakthroughs and an infrastructure that has helped it develop future solutions, making it an ideal location for Shell in the quest to secure our energy future.
"The decision to bring Shell Eco-marathon Americas to Detroit is another example of the immense opportunities available for students, businesses and the community as the city continues to nurture promising new enterprises in life sciences, information technology and advanced manufacturing," said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. "Hosting Shell Eco-marathon Americas will bring national attention to what we already know about our city - that it's one of the best, most innovative cities to live and work in."
In April 2015, more than 1,000 students from across the Americas are expected to gather in Detroit with their custom-designed and built energy efficient vehicles to see who can travel the farthest distance using the least amount of energy. For the last seven years, students participating in Shell Eco-marathon Americas have designed super-mileage vehicles - with some achieving more than 3,500 miles per gallon. The 2014 challenge is already shaping up to be one of the best Americas events yet, with more than 130 teams from Brazil, Canada, Guatemala, Mexico and all across the United States registered to participate.
Student teams can choose to participate in one or both of the Prototype and UrbanConcept classes at Shell Eco-marathon Americas. The Prototype class challenges student teams to enter futuristic prototypes and the UrbanConcept class focuses on more "roadworthy" fuel-efficient vehicles. In the Americas event for both classes, teams can use a range of six official energy sources - including fuels such as gasoline, diesel as well as alternative fuels such as hydrogen, ethanol, GTL and battery electric technologies.
For universities and high schools interested in learning more about Shell Eco-marathon Americas, including additional details on vehicle class requirements, official rules and details on prizes, please visit the Shell Eco-marathon website at: www.shell.com/ecomarathon.
