About Shell Eco-marathon

The concept of Shell Eco-marathon can be traced back to 1939 when Bob Greenshields, Shell’s Research Director, made a friendly wager with his colleagues at Shell Oil Company in the USA on who could travel farthest using the same amount of fuel. Bob achieved 49 MPG (still a respectable number even by today’s standards), setting a record, and creating a legacy that has lasted the distance.

Nearly 50 years later, in 1985, Shell Eco-marathon officially launched in France. Twenty-five teams gathered to pit their wooden vehicles against one another in a format that laid the foundations for the competition we now know and love!

At the heart of the competition is a challenge with long-lasting implications for us all: How can we travel the farthest using as little energy as possible? Tasked with creating a vehicle that can test this theory and change how we see and understand mobility, students embark on a journey that will push their design, technology, and engineering skills to the limit both on and off the track.

Each year over 5,000 students from over 52 countries participate in Shell Eco-marathon and year on year the legacy is clear to see. Each year the teams, in the true spirit of Shell Eco-marathon are driven to compete in the name of perseverance, innovation and collaboration. Read on for their real-life inspirational stories.