The Shell Eco-marathon is a scientific and sporting competition promoted by the oil company Shell, with the patronage of the European Union, where competitors aim to design and implement a vehicle prototype that consumes the smallest possible quantity of fuel. The winning vehicle is the one that travels the longest distance on a single litre of fuel, at a minimum average speed of 30 km/h. The world record was broken in the 2005 competition by the Swiss ETH team who, with their PACCAR II fuel-cell vehicle, used just 1.78 grams of hydrogen to travel 25,272 km, equivalent to 3,836 km/l of petrol.

On 26 June 2005, on the Ladoux track at the Michelin test centre just outside Paris, PACCAR II, fitted with brand-new special radial tyres, set the new and still unbroken world record: 5,385 km/l. The vehicles competing in the contest are differentiated in terms of shape, prototype and urban concept, and they can use absolutely any fuel: with the sole exception of solar-powered vehicles, all are placed in a single race class, with a litre-equivalent of petrol.

More information about the project is available on the internet website:  www.shell.com/ecomarathon