The car that does over 4,000 mpg

A petrol-powered car that can cover over 4,300 miles on a single gallon of petrol has been built by Canadian students.

The Alerion Supermileage team from Laval University in Quebec were taking part in the Shell Eco-marathon – an annual event that challenges students from around the world to design, build and test hyper-efficient vehicles.

Taking first place in the prototype category, the single-seat ultra-light car achieved 4,306 mpg (imperial) – the equivalent of 1,524 km on a single litre of petrol.

The Eco Marathon features vehicles powered petrol, battery electric (including solar), petrol alternative, diesel, alternative diesel and hydrogen. The competition comes to Europe next month before moving on to Asia.

In 2010, a team of French students have built a single-seat diesel-powered car that can achieve 8,372 mpg – the equivalent of driving from London to Rome for one litre of fuel that cost around £1.20.

The car has CO2 emissions of 0.88g/km – less than one tenth of the most recent Toyota Prius hybrid (89g/km).

The most impressive fuel efficiency achieved at this year’s Shell eco marathon event at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz track in Germany earlier this month, however, was by a team of fellow French students from Polytech Nantes who managed the equivalent of 13,830mpg in fuel-cell electric car – the culmination of a five-year project.

The cars are optimised for fuel efficiency in every way possible. The contestants use their engines for very short bursts to boost their speed up and then coast until they lose momentum.

How can I increase my car’s MPG?

The cars competing in the Eco Marathon are built for fuel efficiency at any cost, but impressive fuel savings are possible with the average family hatchback. The driver of a 5-door family hatchback Peugeot 308 HDi in 2010 achieved an average fuel consumption of 89.95 mpg on public roads between Paris and Geneva – an improvement of almost 50 per cent on the manufacturer’s official figure.

Gentle driving and modest speed are the secret to boosting your car’s mpg figure, but you could also try the eco driving tips below.

Eco driving	… at a glance
Take it smooth	Avoiding harsh acceleration and braking saves fuel and reduces wear and tear – it also leaves you feeling more relaxed
Anticipate	By looking as far as possible up the road it’s possible to reduce stop/start driving, thereby reducing fuel consumption and making you a safer driver into the bargain
Shed weight	Remove unnecessary clutter from your car and you will use less fuel
Improve your aerodynamics	If you don’t regularly use your roof rack or top box, remove it as it’s reducing the efficiency of your car