Shell Oil Company, in conjunction with Sonoma Raceway and Speedway Motorsports, announced Make the Future Live California featuring Shell Eco-marathon Americas will return to Sonoma Raceway as the 2020 competition venue from April 1-4, 2020.

Shell Eco-marathon is a global academic program – with regional events in the Americas, Asia, and Europe – that challenges high school and college students from around the world to compete to design, build and test ultra-energy-efficient vehicles. The program is dedicated to addressing the growing need for more and cleaner energy solutions in the real world, and empowering talented and passionate science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students with a platform to put their own energy consumption theories and ideas into action.

This year marks Shell Eco-marathon’s 35th anniversary as a formal program. It is the first year where teams have an opportunity to become Regional Champions in the Americas and go on to compete in the very first World Championship Final held later in the year (location TBD).

“Shell Eco-marathon Americas is a tangible example of what’s possible when young people have a platform to come together, test their ideas, and make them happen,” said Norman Koch, Make the Future General Manager. “It’s a celebration of the global program’s rich 35-year history, and our partnership with Sonoma Raceway, which has proven an excellent venue for Shell Eco-marathon Americas.”

“Every year we watch these brilliant young minds from all across the Americas rise to the challenge of innovating for a lower carbon future,” said Pamela Rosen, Shell Eco-marathon Americas spokesperson. “These students are the future leaders of the world who will continue to push the boundaries of the energy transition and ultimately bridge the gap between imagination and what’s possible. We look forward to witnessing another year of how these young innovators are helping to make the future.”

The 2019 Shell Eco-marathon Americas’ winners across the three energy categories were:

  • Internal combustion: Northern Illinois University of DeKalb, Illinois, with 1524.9 miles per gallon with its gasoline-powered Prototype vehicle and Wawasee High School (Gold Team) of Syracuse, Indiana, with 680.7 miles per gallon with its diesel-powered Urban Concept vehicle.
  • Hydrogen fuel cellUniversity of Alberta of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with 159.8 miles/m3 in their Prototype vehicle.
  • Battery electric: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign of Champaign, Illinois with 152.0 miles/kWh in their Prototype vehicle and Mater Dei High School (Supermileage Team 2) of Evansville, Indiana with 68.2 miles/kWh in their Urban Concept vehicle.

“At Sonoma Raceway, providing a showcase for the latest in green automotive technology is important to us, and helping to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Shell Eco-marathon reflects that pride,” said Sonoma Raceway President and General Manager Steve Page. “Most importantly, this event provides a platform for the next generation of automotive designers, engineers and innovators to reveal and test their latest efforts.”

Wawasee High School’s Gold Team (Indiana) was joined by Mater Dei High School’s Supermileage 2 Team (Indiana) and Alden-Conger High School (Minnesota) as the top three teams in the 2019 Regional Championship.

To learn more about Shell Eco-marathon Americas, please visit: www.shell.com/ecomarathon.