University of Toronto wins Shell Eco-Marathon 2015 with 3,421 mpg

Official

Sebastian Blanco

Apr 13th 2015 at 4:16PM

Cedarville Team at the 2015 Shell Eco-Marathon
Shell Eco-marathon Americas Final Day

The Sting, #305, Battery Electric Prototype, competing for team Cedarville Supermilage - Sting from Cedarville University, Cedarville, OH, United States on the track on the final day of the Shell Eco-marathon Americas 2015 in Detroit, Mich., Sunday, April 12, 2015. (Rex Larsen/AP Images for Shell)
Image Credit: Shell

Black Diesel high-mpg vehicle at the 2015 Shell Eco-Marathon

Black Diesel high-mpg vehicle at the 2015 Shell Eco-Marathon
Shell Eco-marathon Americas Final Day

The Black Diesel, #5, Diesel Prototype, competing for team No Spark Plug Allowed from Sullivan High School, Sullivan, IN, United States on the track on the final day of the Shell Eco-marathon Americas 2015 in Detroit, Mich., Sunday, April 12, 2015. (Rex Larsen/AP Images for Shell)
Image Credit: Shell

Shell Eco-marathon Americas Final Day

Shell Eco-marathon Americas Final Day
Shell Eco-marathon Americas Final Day

The HUSKIE ROCKET, #9, Gasoline Prototype, competing for team NIU Supermileage from Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL, United States, is seen on the track during final day of the Shell Eco-marathon Americas 2015 in Detroit, Mich., Sunday, April 12, 2015. (Bryan Mitchell/AP Images for Shell)
Image Credit: Shell

Mater Dei Supermileage 2 vehicle at the 2015 Shell Eco-Marathon

Mater Dei Supermileage 2 vehicle at the 2015 Shell Eco-Marathon
Shell Eco-marathon Americas Final Day

The Tenth Gen, #3, Gasoline Prototype, competing for team Mater Dei Supermileage 2 from Mater Dei High School, Evansville, IN, United States, is seen on the track during final day of the Shell Eco-marathon Americas 2015 in Detroit, Mich., Sunday, April 12, 2015. (Bryan Mitchell/AP Images for Shell)
Image Credit: Shell

The JD 4020 Diesel UrbanConcept at the 2015 Shell Eco-Marathon

The JD 4020 Diesel UrbanConcept at the 2015 Shell Eco-Marathon
Shell Eco-marathon Americas Final Day

The JD 4020, #502, Diesel UrbanConcept, competing for team Knights 3 from Alden-Conger High School, Alden, MN, United States, is seen on the track during final day of the Shell Eco-marathon Americas 2015 in Detroit, Mich., Sunday, April 12, 2015. (Bryan Mitchell/AP Images for Shell)
Image Credit: Shell

Canadian black Prototype on track at the 2015 Shell Eco-Marathon

Canadian black Prototype on track at the 2015 Shell Eco-Marathon
Canadian black Prototype on track

The UT3 gasoline Prototype, competing for team University of Toronto Supermileage from University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. (Rex Larsen/AP Images for Shell)
Image Credit: Shell

The GEN 4, #35, Gasoline Prototype at the 2015 Shell Eco-Marathon

The GEN 4, #35, Gasoline Prototype at the 2015 Shell Eco-Marathon
Shell Eco-marathon Americas Final Day

The GEN 4, #35, Gasoline Prototype, competing for team Eco Illini from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States on the track on the final day of the Shell Eco-marathon Americas 2015 in Detroit, Mich., Sunday, April 12, 2015. (Rex Larsen/AP Images for Shell)
Image Credit: Shell

Mater Dei UrbanConcept on track at 2015 Shell Eco-Marathon

Mater Dei UrbanConcept on track at 2015 Shell Eco-Marathon
Mater Dei UrbanConcept on track

The Elroy -- gasoline UrbanConcept by team Mater Dei Supermileage from Mater Dei High School, Evansville, IN, United States. (Rex Larsen/AP Images for Shell)
Image Credit: Shell

At last year's Shell Eco-Marathon, the overall winning team was Université Laval with a winning score of 2,824 miles per gallon. The winning number varies so wildly from year to year that the champion team in 2013 got 3,587 mpg and there have been teams that managed to wring out over 8,000 mpg from their ultralight, hyper-efficient vehicles. For the 2015 event, the win was secured with a 3,421 mpg result from the University of Toronto. This was the ninth running of the Shell Eco-marathon Americas and the first time in Detroit.

It was a welcome win for the students from Toronto, since they almost beat Laval last year and trailed Laval this year until the seventh and final trial. UT driver Kristine Confalone said in a statement that, "We had problems with our battery, and our steering actually broke. We were one of the last cars on the track. We were really lucky to be able to go again right after and get that last one in."

For the results in the other categories – including most efficient prototype electric vehicle (the Mater Dei High SchoolMater Dei Supermileage 3 team, with 724 kilometers per kWh) or the best Urban Concpet diesel vehicle (the Alden-Conger High SchoolKnights 3, with 216 km per liter), you can go to the official results page.

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