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Mater Dei team gets 2,843 miles to the gallon

New Media Producer: Rachel Folz

Mater Dei High School finished first and third out of 33 high school and college student teams from North and South America, shattering the miles per gallon record set last year by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.  

Mater Dei's "6th Gen" car won the traditional fuel combustion category in the Shell Eco-Marathon Americas with run of 2,843.4 miles per gallon.  

Mater Dei's other car in competition, "5th Gen" finished third with a Friday run of 2,383.8 miles per gallon.

Mater Dei wins $10,000 for first prize, along with an additional $2,400 for internal combustion engine awards.

The Eco-Marathon Americas, which began in 2007, is a gathering of college and high school student teams trying to drive the farthest distance using the least amount of fuel.  

Collectively, it's an effort to change the way the world uses energy.  

Each team uses a hand-built, high-mileage prototype vehicle at the California Speedway from vehicle design to management to financing, the student teams managed their vehicles from start to finish.  

In addition to being eco-friendly, the competition is also about giving the students an opportunity to gain practical experience in science, math, business and design.