It was a strong finish for Saskatchewan Polytechnic students at the Shell Eco-marathon Drivers’ World Championship Grand Final in England on July 8.
Their Sask Eco UC car finished in second place among other post-secondary institutions at the annual competition in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The championship brings together teams from across the globe to decide which has the fastest energy-efficient vehicle, within 40 km/h, when tested on the track.
A team from Indonesia took gold at the finish line. The winners are awarded an invitation to visit Scuderia Ferrari’s exclusive headquarters in Italy.
The Saskatchewan team qualified for the final competition at the Shell Eco-marathon Americas Challenge in April.
With a result of 266 kilometres per litre fuel efficiency, Saskatchewan students earned a second-place finish in the urban concept category at Sonoma Raceway in California.
Their placing at the regional qualifier marked the first time a Canadian car earned a spot in the final competition.
Mechanical and CAD/CAM engineering technology students at Saskatchewan Polytechnic designed, built and raced the eco car to the finish line.
The body of the Sask Eco UC car was 3D printed at the Saskatoon campus, and the frame is made from recycled hockey sticks.
Shell Eco-marathon began in 1939 at a research laboratory in the United States as a friendly wager between scientists to see who could get the most miles per gallon out of their vehicles.