Shell Eco-Marathon: That's All Folks

The last-minute repairs, friendly competition, racing out to the track to get in that last run that might just be the one—that's all over. And the dancing of the "Electric Slide" in the awards banquet hall has begun. It was an up-and-down day. Penn State's hydrogen fuel cell, HFV, drove like a champ and achieved the equivalent of 1,803 miles per gallon. But they couldn't quite claim the number one spot. "We kept going back and forth with Cicero" says team member John Bearer, referring to the fuel cell champion Cicero North-Syracuse High School. Bearer wasn't too disappointed, though, as the competition is far from cutthroat: At the very end, Northern Arizona gave up its final spot in line to Cal Poly, whose crew yearned to take a last shot at a better mileage number. The fuel cell car from Missouri, however, never managed to finish the 10-lap race and ...