Design World

  • Home
  • Articles
    • 3D CAD
    • Electronics • electrical
    • Fastening & Joining
    • Factory automation
    • Linear Motion
    • Motion Control
    • Test & Measurement
    • Sensors
  • 3D CAD Models
    • PARTsolutions
    • TraceParts
  • Leadership
    • 2020 Winners
    • 2019 Winners
    • LEAP Awards
  • Resources
    • Subscribe
    • DIGITAL ISSUES
      • EE World Digital Issues
    • Future of Design Engineering
    • LEAP Awards
    • MC² Motion Control Classroom
    • Motion Design Guide Library
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Webinars
  • Women in Engineering
  • Ebooks / Tech Tips
  • Videos
  • COVID-19

Breaking The Guinness World Record For Fuel Efficiency

By Duke University | August 13, 2018

Share

Duke Engineering is now the official home of the most fuel-efficient vehicle in history, a hydrogen fuel cell car that gets the equivalent of 14,573 miles per gallon. Duke Electric Vehicles (DEV’s) record-breaking run took place on Saturday, July 21 at Galot Motorsports in Benson, North Carolina. Guinness World Records has confirmed that the attempt to set a new record for fuel efficiency was successful. DEV bested the old record set by ETH Zurich, which stood for 13 years.

Engineers from NC State University and North Carolina A&T State University judged the attempt, measuring total hydrogen consumption, total distance traveled, and total time of the run, and ensuring the car traveled at a minimum average speed of 15 mph. The efficiency score was computed based on total distance traveled divided by total hydrogen consumption.

To set the new world record, the car traveled eight and a half miles of track and used less than one gram of pure hydrogen.

“To put that in perspective,” said outgoing DEV president and electrical engineering graduate Patrick Grady, “our vehicle is capable of driving to any point on the globe using the energy in one gallon of gas.”

The prototype car—named “Maxwell” after James C. Maxwell’s equations describing electromagnetism—placed first in the hydrogen category at the Shell Eco-marathon Americas in Sonoma, California in April of this year. The car’s bank of supercapacitors provided the driver with short bursts of energy when she needed to climb or accelerate; to charge the supercapacitors, the team deployed a fuel cell much smaller and lighter—and with narrower margins for error—than that of the competition. The novel design earned DEV a Technical Innovation Award in addition to a win.

According to mechanical engineering student and incoming DEV Co-president Shomik Verma ‘19, the team already has its sights set on breaking another record. “Building off the success of our hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, we are hoping to beat the battery electric vehicle record next year,” said Verma. “Our electric efficiency is within five percent of the record based on our data from the recent attempt, so with improvements to the aerodynamics of the body and reduction in weight, we should be viable competitors for the record.”

MOTION DESIGN GUIDES

“motion

“motion

“motion

“motion

“motion

“motion

“motion

“motion

“motion

Enews Sign Up

Motion Control Classroom

Design World Digital Edition

cover

Browse the most current issue of Design World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading design engineering magazine today.

EDABoard the Forum for Electronics

Top global problem solving EE forum covering Microcontrollers, DSP, Networking, Analog and Digital Design, RF, Power Electronics, PCB Routing and much more

EDABoard: Forum for electronics

Sponsored Content

  • Drilling rig OEM benefits from a PLC with edge computing technology: IIoT case study
  • The industry shift to smart electromechanical actuators
  • Commemorating a great entrepreneurial personality – Oskar Lapp at 100 – A pioneer for the future
  • SE motor – uncompromised motion performance
  • With virtual commissioning, commissioning time and prototype waste is reduced
  • Master Bond Supreme 10HT High strength, NASA low outgassing approved epoxy
Engineering Exchange

The Engineering Exchange is a global educational networking community for engineers.

Connect, share, and learn today »

Tweets by @DesignWorld
Design World
  • Advertising
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Manage your Design World Subscription
  • Subscribe
  • Design World Digital Network
  • Engineering White Papers
  • LEAP AWARDS

Copyright © 2021 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Design World

  • Home
  • Articles
    • 3D CAD
    • Electronics • electrical
    • Fastening & Joining
    • Factory automation
    • Linear Motion
    • Motion Control
    • Test & Measurement
    • Sensors
  • 3D CAD Models
    • PARTsolutions
    • TraceParts
  • Leadership
    • 2020 Winners
    • 2019 Winners
    • LEAP Awards
  • Resources
    • Subscribe
    • DIGITAL ISSUES
      • EE World Digital Issues
    • Future of Design Engineering
    • LEAP Awards
    • MC² Motion Control Classroom
    • Motion Design Guide Library
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Webinars
  • Women in Engineering
  • Ebooks / Tech Tips
  • Videos
  • COVID-19