Photo: Shell
Most gearheads interested in the discipline called motorsport know Shell has been involved with the Le Mans 24 Hours Race since the early 1920s, but their interest in the competition took different turns in the recent years.
Namely, they involved students who engineer and drive cars that could compete in the actual Le Mans race by drinking a little over a liter of fuel. Nope, that's not a typo and it's a long way from Shell's fuel and lubricant solutions adopted by Porsche and Audi in the past.
Shell's Eco-marathon racers are claimed to be the most energy-efficient vehicles ever to roll a wheel on the hallowed Le Mans tarmac for a good reason: the Frech students who build them achieved a fuel efficiency of up to 3,771 km (2,343 miles) per liter.
To put things into perspective, here's an example of what a Shell Eco-marathon prototype can do. For example, the Microjoule La Joliverie car would use just 1.3 litres of fuel to cover the winning distance of 5,165 km (3209 miles) from last year’s 24 hours of Le Mans event.
At this point, it's fair to say the car won't reach 330 km/h (205 mph) as the LMP1 prototypes will do this weekend, but their fuel economy rating is still impressive.
The difference between winning and losing the world’s most famous motor race is now measured in fuel efficiency since the ACO implemented a 30% reduction in fuel consumption at the start of the 2014 season.
Translated into real-life racing, this means the teams and cars battling for victory at Le Mans must accomplish a fuel consumption value no higher than a single litre of fuel for every 2.5 km (1.5 miles) travelled. And you thought you're good at eco driving.
Shell's Eco-marathon racers are claimed to be the most energy-efficient vehicles ever to roll a wheel on the hallowed Le Mans tarmac for a good reason: the Frech students who build them achieved a fuel efficiency of up to 3,771 km (2,343 miles) per liter.
To put things into perspective, here's an example of what a Shell Eco-marathon prototype can do. For example, the Microjoule La Joliverie car would use just 1.3 litres of fuel to cover the winning distance of 5,165 km (3209 miles) from last year’s 24 hours of Le Mans event.
At this point, it's fair to say the car won't reach 330 km/h (205 mph) as the LMP1 prototypes will do this weekend, but their fuel economy rating is still impressive.
The difference between winning and losing the world’s most famous motor race is now measured in fuel efficiency since the ACO implemented a 30% reduction in fuel consumption at the start of the 2014 season.
Translated into real-life racing, this means the teams and cars battling for victory at Le Mans must accomplish a fuel consumption value no higher than a single litre of fuel for every 2.5 km (1.5 miles) travelled. And you thought you're good at eco driving.
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