NBC 10: Local Students Taking Very Cost Friendly Road Trip

For the fourth consecutive year, a team of Swarthmore students is entering an energy-efficient vehicle into the Shell Eco-marathon, taking place in Detroit this weekend.

The team's three-wheeled, red fiberglass-paneled vehicle generates electricity thanks to a hydrogen fuel cell and runs the equivalent of 1,300 miles per gallon of gasoline. 

The team (some of whom are pictured at left) heading to Detroit consists of Hyeongmin Kim '19 of Irvine, Calif., Natasha Nogueira '18 of Santa Cruz, Calif., Alex Siegel '18 of Seattle, Wash., and Alan Zhuolun Zhao '18 of Beijing, China.

Last year's team, consisting of Neil Macfarland '15, Andrew Grasberger '15, Persis Ratouis '17, and Winnie Ngo '15, finished in third place among hydrogen-powered vehicles. In 2014, the same team finished in second place and in 2013, Eric Verhasselt ’13, who built the school’s first eco-vehicle, finished third.