(July 2008) -- Students of the Haagse Hogeschool in Rijswijk (The Netherlands) won the Shell Eco Marathon, May 2008, in the category, "Urban Concept." Using hydrogen as a fuel, they succeeded in driving 848km on 1 litre petrol equivalent (this calculation is based on the used fuel, i.e., hydrogen, being converting back to the equivalent of four-star petrol in the UK in order to make an equal comparison). Last year they achieved 557 km on 1 litre in the same category.

The Eco-Marathon is an annual fuel economy competition, the aim being to drive more kilometers with less fuel. "We were able to drive 300 kilometers more compared to last year, because we were able to reduce the vehicle weight from 155 to 110 kilos," says Hein van Thiel, project manager for the 20-student team.

Peter Bout, European project engineer, Liquid Hydrogen and special projects for Air Products, who provided technical knowledge to three Dutch teams all using hydrogen as fuel for fuel cells, commented, "This record once again proves that using hydrogen and fuel cells in automotive applications, is economical and friendly for the environment." The fuel for the vehicle—called Sharky II—was supplied by Air Products during the entire preparation period as well as during the race. The two other teams operating Fuel Cell vehicles ran in the prototype category, where consumption rates of 1467 km per litre Euro 95 were achieved.

Shell Eco Marathon is a competition that is organized in three locations: France (Nogaro), UK (Corby, Rockingham) and the U.S. (Fontana, California). Shell officials have calculated the energy content of the used hydrogen back to standard petrol Euro 95 to enable fair comparison with teams using other fuels like diesel, LPG, etc.