To be honest, these amazing homebuilt contraptions are pretty far from production automobiles. BUT, they represent something far bigger than merely trying to squeeze out more mileage from one gallon of gasoline. This is the 14 year old equivalent of Hillary climbing Everest, of Robin Knox Johnson sailing around the world solo (nonstop!), or even of the flat earth society. This is a physical representation of dreams, will, imagination, and effort.
I think it’s beautiful
UK students’ 1,980 MPG car scores first place in marathon race, by a 1,000 MPG margin
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/24/uk-students-1-980-mpg-car-scores-first-place-in-marathon-race
A car that looks like the one above and gets the “equivalent” of 1,980 miles to the gallon (and one gallon only) is certainly impressive enough on its own, but it’s all the more so when you consider that it’s driven by a 14-year-old and built by his classmates (with a little assistance, of course). This particular vehicle hails from Kingdown School in Wiltshire, England, and it won the recent Mallory Park Mileage Marathon by a margin of more than 1,000 MPG over its next closest competitor. Not surprisingly, however, the students are already looking to improve things for next years’ race, and say they’re planning on upgrading the engine for starters. No word if they’re considering an X-Prize challenge after that.
These Prototypes Cars, Built by Kids, Can Do close To 2,000 Miles per Gallon
http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/25/car-prototypes-kids
What’s more impressive than a car that can do over a thousand miles per gallon? One that was designed by school kids
In the UK, students from regional schools and universities took part in the annual Mileage Marathon Challenge near Leicester, England, each team vying to set new gas mileage efficiency records in a race around a track. Cars were allowed to coast, but had to maintain a minimum speed of 15 miles per hour. Students worked on the vehicle prototypes, many in partnership with design and engineering firms.
The winner of the 20-team competition, pictured above, was a vehicle driven by 14-year-old Sam Chapman-Hill, which reached a 1,980 mile-per-gallon efficiency. Its aerodynamic design, reminiscent of something from a sci-fi film, weighs just under 100 pounds, and is made mostly of plastic reinforced by glass.
