“Recently, we showed the best result at the international competitions in Detroit, the United States automotive capital. There we were able to achieve a mileage of 316 km per liter, and we have become vice-champions of the American continent, second only to an American group of researchers. But we are still moving on,” Bruno Medeiros, the university’s professor, told Sputnik.
According to him, the prototype seats only one passenger who must not be more than 45 kilos.
Other secrets of its success such were its carbon fiber chassis, 32-cylinder engine and many technological tweaks implemented to reduce energy loss from friction and increase the efficiency of the engine.
Speed, however, is not the main criteria in this form of competition.
“The slower you go, the better your fuel economy. At this stage, speed is not our key goal. But if one sets a ‘speed’ task, we would need the help of a major automaker to develop a prototype that can comply with the criteria. Nevertheless, negotiations on this subject have not been yet conducted,” Medeiros explained to Sputnik.
