Driving 2,885 km on a litre of fuel

EU Energy Commissioner Piebalgs presents prototype

14 September 2006 — On the square in front of the European Commission’s Berlaymont Building, an unusual car was driving in circles. It was the Microjoule, an ethanol-powered vehicle engineered by French students. The car — capable of driving 2,885 km on a single litre of fuel — won the Shell European Eco-Marathon in May.

Commissioner Piebalgs presented the car within the framework of the EU Energy Efficiency Action Plan. This plan aims to save 20% on the annual primary energy consumption in the EU by 2020. Piebalgs noted that the transport sector has a particularly important role to play in reaching this target. After several delays, the Action Plan was presented by the European Commission last Thursday (19/10/2006).

Read more in the related EC press release (IP/06/1190).