The Microjolie car can travel 25,000 miles on £15 of fuel
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French students have built a car that can travel almost 25,000 miles - the distance around the equator - on a single litre of fuel.
The carbon fibre Microjoule, which weighs just 35kg, could cover the 200 mile (320 km) journey between London and Manchester for just 12p (20 cents).
The superlight vehicle was the winner of the Shell European Eco-Marathon contest to find the world's most fuel efficient vehicle.
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French students have built a car that can travel almost 25,000 miles - the distance around the equator - on a single litre of fuel. The carbon fibre Microjoule, which weighs just 35kg, could cover the 200 mile (320 km) journey between London and Manchester for just 12p (20 cents)
After testing on a track, judges at the event in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, calculated the car could do 2,072 miles (3,330 km) per litre - the equivalent of 9,400 miles (15,100) per gallon.
The cost of driving 24,901 miles around the world's widest point would be just £15.60 ($26).
The Microjolie was built by students at the La Joliverie College, in Nantes, western France, who beat 200 other teams competing at this week's event.
The car achieves its incredible fuel efficiency through a combination of low rolling resistance and air resistance and a very low drag coefficient - or how it passes through the surrounding air. For example, when you spin the wheels, they will turn for several minutes without ever stopping
Driving 24,901 miles around the world's widest point would cost just £15.60 ($26), according to the judges
A student who worked on the Microjoule project said: 'The car has an internal combustion engine and runs on ordinary fuel.
'It weighs 35 kg (77lbs) and is made entirely of carbon fibre. It offers very low rolling resistance and air resistance, and a very, very low drag coefficient.
'For example, when you spin the wheels, they will turn for several minutes without ever stopping.'
Students of the Hogeschool van Amsterdam also set a circuit record with a score of 266 miles (428.5 kilometres) per kilowatt hour with their vehicle H2A.
If they could drive around the world at the equator, that road trip would cost them no more than £16 ($27) in electricity bills
Meanwhile, France emerged triumphant in the Urban Concept category, where vehicles are much closer to what may ultimately be seen on public roads.
A team from the Louis Delage college in Cognac, south west France, won with a car that achieved 468.85 kilometres per litre, or 199.3 miles per gallon.
The car is designed to run on either petrol or ethanol. The minimum weight for a driver is 50 kg (110 lbs)
The chassis is built from carbon fibre, which is lightweight and strong. The shape resembles a drop of water
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