Just for Fun: How Far Can You Go on One Liter of Fuel?

Racecar

Team Delft's Eco-Runner.

How far can you go on one liter of fuel? Could you go a jaw-dropping 557 kilometers, the equivalent of about 1,300 miles per gallon?

That's exactly the distance achieved by an experimental racing car, known as the Eco-Runner. The vehicle was designed and constructed by a team of 11 students from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands with support from sponsors like Dow.

To put the vehicle's fuel efficiency into perspective, imagine driving your car around the globe on less than two tanks of fuel!

The team built the car to participate in a race that's part of the European Shell Eco-marathon, an innovative education program based on the principles of sustainable development and energy conservation.

Racing ahead with weight-saving solutions from Dow
With a goal to burn less than one liter of fuel per 500 kilometers, Eco-Runner Team Delft needed to find ways to make its Eco-Runner as light as possible.

IMPAXX™ energy absorbing foam from Dow Automotive

Superior performance at lower cost. IMPAXX™
energy absorbing foam from Dow Automotive
reduces weight by up to 50 percent vs. poly-
urethane and polypropylene parts. Packaging
space can be reduced by up to 30 percent.

That's where materials from Dow helped make a big difference.

The team used glassfiber reinforced composites based on a Dow Epoxy solution (an epoxy resin, amine hardener and reactive diluent) to build the vehicle's body.

They also used two products from Dow Automotive - FLOORMATE™ insulation to build the construction mould and IMPAXX™ energy absorbing foam.

These high performing materials substantially lightened the vehicle, helping the team exceed its goal of 500 kilometers per liter at one of the European Shell Eco-marathon races at the Rockingham circuit in England this past July. The use of IMPAXX energy absorbing foam also delivered the high level of safety performance needed to ensure the driver's safety.

Dow will be cheering on Eco-Runner Team Delft as they take to the track at the Shell Eco-Marathon race in southern France in 2007 - with their new goal of more than doubling the distance.

__________

Get in Touch

Would you like more information, want to get in touch with us or just want to leave some feedback? Please contact us.

Put in Touch

Would you like to share what you've just read? Refer to an associate or colleague.

Stay in Touch

Keep up-to-date on the latest attractions on Epoxy Avenue. Sign up.


™* Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") or an affiliated company of Dow.