- BYU students built a combustion vehicle achieving 911 km per litre efficiency
- The supermileage car weighs 49 kg and fits drivers up to 54 kg
- The vehicle ran 16 km at Indianapolis Speedway using a 30 ml ethanol fuel tank
A group of students from Brigham Young University in Utah, USA, has built an ultra-efficient combustion-engine-powered vehicle. The new vehicle is claimed to achieve an energy rating equivalent to approximately 911 km per litre (2,145 mpg). The project demonstrates how far internal-combustion engineering can still be pushed amid rising fuel prices and global focus on efficiency.
The vehicle, named Supermileage, was developed for the Shell Eco-marathon and is designed primarily to showcase maximum fuel economy rather than daily usability. It resembles a cross between a trike and a compact car, built from lightweight carbon fibre with an extremely low body. The design is so tight that it can only accommodate a driver up to around 5 feet 4 inches (163 cm) tall and weighing no more than about 54 kg. The vehicle itself weighs just 49 kg, a key factor in its low energy consumption.
As part of the Shell Eco-marathon rules, the Supermileage completed a 16 km run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. To keep overall mass down, it does not use a conventional fuel tank; instead, it runs on a tiny 30-millilitre ethanol reservoir connected directly to the engine. Under test conditions, the vehicle is rated at 2,145 miles per gallon, equivalent to about 911 km per litre in Indian metric terms.
Designed for efficiency, the vehicle is limited to a top speed of about 37 kmph. With this in mind, the effective range of vehicles in real-world conditions can be drastically reduced. Even small headwinds or crosswinds would reduce its range.
The Supermileage prototype serves as a reminder that, with radical weight reduction, aerodynamic design, and careful engineering, even conventional internal-combustion platforms can be made dramatically more efficient. Especially at a time when fuel prices are noticing an increase amid ongoing global tension.
Petrol Price Hike In India
Petrol and diesel prices were increased by approximately 90 paise per litre on Tuesday, marking the second upward revision within a week. In Delhi, the revised price of petrol stands at Rs 98.64 per litre, up from Rs 97.77, while diesel has risen to Rs 91.58 per litre from Rs 90.67, as reported by PTI. This follows an earlier hike of Rs 3 per litre implemented on Friday.
Fuel prices in other major cities also saw comparable increases. In Mumbai, petrol rose by 91 paise to Rs 107.59 per litre, and diesel increased by 94 paise to Rs 94.08 per litre. Kolkata recorded the steepest rise in petrol prices, which went up by 96 paise to Rs 109.70 per litre, while diesel climbed by 94 paise to Rs 96.07 per litre.