College Team Nears 3,800 mpg at SAE Supermileage Event

A student team from the Universite Laval in Quebec City, Canada, achieved a winning run of 3,788 mpg in a one-seat motorized vehicle at SAE International’s Supermileage competition to set a new record for the 37-year-old event, which is held at Eaton Corp.’s proving grounds in Marshall, Mich. It was the third straight year Laval had the best fuel efficiency.

A team from Pennsylvania State University finished second with a run of 2,528 mpg. It was followed by Northern Illinois University at 1,758 mpg.

The teams design and build their own vehicles, which are powered by a 1-cylinder 4-cycle engine. Participants are encouraged to use advanced materials and technologies to optimize the fuel efficiency of their vehicles, which is measured over six laps on Eaton’s 1.6-mile test track.

Of the 21 participating teams, 17 (10 from the U.S., five from Canada, one from India and one from Lebanon) completed the technical inspection and 12 had successful fuel economy attempts. Two new teams—India’s Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women and Texas A&M University—were composed entirely of female students.

The competition, which is part of SAE’s Collegiate Design Series, is designed to generate public awareness of high-mileage, fuel-efficient vehicles and encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.