There were celebrations for a student team from Laval University in Quebec, Canada, as it scooped the grand prize in the 2009 Shell Eco-Marathon Americas by achieving an incredible 2,757.1mpg with its prototype.

More than 500 students competed from 44 teams with the challenge being to design, build and test fuel efficient vehicles that can travel the furthest distance while using the least amount of fuel. Last year a record was set of 2,843mpg by Mater Dei High School and their students returned again this time, winning the grand prize in the “Urbanconcept” category with 433mpg.

The prototype category indicates a streamlined vehicle focused on maximising fuel efficiency through innovative design elements while the Urbanconcept category focuses on more roadworthy fuel-efficient vehicles – these vehicles are closer to the appearance of the cars you see on the road today as they attempt to meet the needs of real-life drivers.

There were plenty of prizes handed out within each category including:

• - Prototype – Grand Prize – Combustion engine. A team from Laval University achieved 2,757.1mpg.
• - Prototype – Fuel Cell/Hydrogen – A Penn State University team achieved 1,912.9mpg.
• - Prototype – Solar Power – Purdue University scooped the top honour with a solar vehicle achieving 4,913mpg.
• - Urbanconcept – Grand Prize – Combustion engine. Won by a team from Mater Dei High School in Evansville, Indiana, with 433.3mpg.
• - Eco-Design Award – An award presented to the UCLA team for their prototype design which incorporated recycled and eco-friendly materials.
• - Safety Award – Awards went to UNAM, the Grand Rapids Technical School and Loyola Marymount University for demonstrating safety as a top priority.
• - Technical Innovation Award – First prize went to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology for outstanding initiative and technical ingenuity.