Make the Future Live California Returns to Sonoma Raceway for Shell Eco-marathon Americas

HOUSTON, Feb. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Shell Oil Company ("Shell"), in conjunction with Sonoma Raceway and Speedway Motorsports, announced Make the Future Live California featuring Shell Eco-marathon Americas will return to Sonoma Raceway as the 2020 competition venue from April 1-4, 2020.

Shell Eco-marathon is a global academic program ? with regional events in the Americas, Asia, and Europe ? that challenges high school and college students from around the world to compete to design, build and test ultra-energy-efficient vehicles. The program is dedicated to addressing the growing need for more and cleaner energy solutions in the real world, and empowering talented and passionate science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students with a platform to put their own energy consumption theories and ideas into action.

This year marks Shell Eco-marathon's 35^th anniversary as a formal program. It is the first year where teams have an opportunity to become Regional Champions in the Americas and go on to compete in the very first World Championship Final held later in the year (location TBD).

"Shell Eco-marathon Americas is a tangible example of what's possible when young people have a platform to come together, test their ideas, and make them happen," said Norman Koch, Make the Future General Manager. "It's a celebration of the global program's rich 35-year history, and our partnership with Sonoma Raceway, which has proven an excellent venue for Shell Eco-marathon Americas."

"Every year we watch these brilliant young minds from all across the Americas rise to the challenge of innovating for a lower carbon future," said Pamela Rosen, Shell Eco-marathon Americas spokesperson. "These students are the future leaders of the world who will continue to push the boundaries of the energy transition and ultimately bridge the gap between imagination and what's possible. We look forward to witnessing another year of how these young innovators are helping to make the future."

The 2019 Shell Eco-marathon Americas' winners across the three energy categories were:

• Internal combustion: Northern Illinois University of DeKalb, Illinois, with 1524.9 miles per gallon with its gasoline-powered Prototype vehicle and Wawasee High School (Gold Team) of Syracuse, Indiana, with 680.7 miles per gallon with its diesel-powered Urban Concept vehicle.
• Hydrogen fuel cell: University of Alberta of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with 159.8 miles/m3 in their Prototype vehicle.
• Battery electric: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign of Champaign, Illinois with 152.0 miles/kWh in their Prototype vehicle and Mater Dei High School (Supermileage Team 2) of Evansville, Indiana with 68.2 miles/kWh in their Urban Concept vehicle.

"At Sonoma Raceway, providing a showcase for the latest in green automotive technology is important to us, and helping to celebrate the 35^th anniversary of Shell Eco-marathon reflects that pride," said Sonoma Raceway President and General Manager Steve Page. "Most importantly, this event provides a platform for the next generation of automotive designers, engineers and innovators to reveal and test their latest efforts."

Wawasee High School's Gold Team (Indiana) was joined by Mater Dei High School's Supermileage 2 Team (Indiana) and Alden-Conger High School (Minnesota) as the top three teams in the 2019 Regional Championship.

To learn more about Shell Eco-marathon Americas, please visit: www.shell.com/ecomarathon.

About Make the Future Live California
Make the Future is Shell's global platform for conversation, collaboration and innovation around the world's energy challenges. With events hosted in countries around the globe, they aim to provide an opportunity for multiple stakeholders: including students, entrepreneurs, businesses, governments and the public, to experience, test and contribute bright energy ideas.

Make the Future Live California will host two Shell Eco-marathon competitions:

• Shell Eco-marathon Mileage Challenge ? where students compete to see whose vehicle design can go the farthest on the least amount of energy.
• Regional Championship ? marrying energy efficiency with speed in a race that will crown a regional champion. That winning team will move on to compete in the World Championship, location TBD.

About Shell Eco-marathon
Shell Eco-marathon is a global program built to offer students hands-on opportunities to develop ideas and technology, knowledge and skills, within an arena of competition. Student teams compete in two vehicle classes. The Prototype class invites students to enter futuristic, streamlined vehicles, and the Urban Concept class focuses on "roadworthy," energy-efficient vehicles aimed at meeting the real-life needs of drivers. Entries are further divided into three energy categories: Internal combustion (gasoline, diesel, and ethanol), Hydrogen fuel cell, and Battery electric.

Currently held in in Asia, Americas and Europe and made up of two key competitions: Shell Eco-marathon Mileage Challenge and Shell Eco-marathon World Championship, where students from countries across their respective regions use innovative problem-solving skills to design and build their own cars. Looking at every aspect of design and technology, students compete to prove that their bright ideas will produce the most energy-efficient vehicle when tested on the track.

Shell Eco-marathon began in 1939 at a Shell research laboratory in the United States as a friendly wager between scientists to see who could get the most miles per gallon from their vehicle. In 1985 in France, Shell Eco-marathon as we know it today was born. In April 2007, the Shell Eco-marathon Americas event was launched in the United States, and in 2010, the inaugural Shell Eco-marathon Asia was held in Malaysia, up until 2013.

About Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Royal Dutch Shell plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with operations in more than 70 countries. In the U.S., Shell operates in 50 states and employs more than 20,000 people working to help tackle the challenges of the new energy future. Shell Oil Company is a leading oil and gas producer in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, a recognized pioneer in oil and gas exploration and production technology and one of America's leading oil and natural gas producers, gasoline and natural gas marketers and petrochemical manufacturers.

About Sonoma Raceway
Sonoma Raceway, located in the Sonoma Valley, is Northern California's premier motor-sports destination, featuring a world-class 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course, drag strip and karting center.  Its annual race schedule is headlined by the NASCAR Cup Series and the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. In addition, Sonoma Raceway owns and operates the Sears Point Racing Experience offering high-performance driving courses, racing programs, safe driver training, corporate outings, manufacturer showcases, go-karting and more. Sonoma Raceway also boasts a motor-sports industrial, which serves as home to more than 70 businesses. Sonoma Raceway is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Speedway Motorsports, a leading marketer, promoter and sponsor of motorsports entertainment in the United States.

SOURCE Shell Oil Company