Granite Falls High teams finish 1-2 at Shell fuel efficiency competition in Detroit

GRANITE FALLS — Thirteen high school students shattered records and took home first- and second-place trophies at an international competition to create the most fuel-efficient vehicles possible.

Two teams from Granite Falls High School, the ShopGirls and UrbanAutos, raced in the Shell Eco-Marathon Americas this weekend with cars they designed and built.

The race wasn’t about speed. It was about fuel efficiency: highest miles per gallon wins.

The Granite Falls teens were among 1,000 high school and college students who competed this year. There were 124 teams from seven countries.

“I like the challenge the Shell Eco-Marathon brings to kids, not only in high school but in college,” said sophomore Kelsey Green, the 16-year-old driver of the UrbanAutos car. “It’s on a global scale.”

Freshman Hannah Yadon, 14, was one of four students on ShopGirls, which seven years ago was the first all-girls team to compete in the Eco-Marathon. She’s learned a lot about teamwork, she said.

Both teams scrambled to solve unexpected problems before the races — blown bearings, a leaky fuel tank and an engine that refused to start. It didn’t stop them from speeding past fuel-efficiency records set in past years by Granite Falls students.

“During the week we tried to make our car turn on because it wasn’t running before we left,” Yadon said. “We just tried to figure out problems and fix them.”

They got to Detroit on Tuesday and the ShopGirls managed to start their car Thursday morning, in time for technical inspections. They raced Saturday and took first place in the prototype diesel category. Their sleek, three-wheeled green and pink car got 1,115 mpg and landed them a $2,000 prize. The team’s previous record was 682 mpg.

UrbanAutos took second place in the urban concept diesel category, which requires cars to meet standards for being street legal, Green said. For example, they must have four wheels, blinkers and lights. Prototype diesel competitors, including the ShopGirls, can break those rules to create more fuel-efficient vehicles.

The UrbanAutos team stayed up past midnight Saturday to repair their bearings and fuel tank. They raced Sunday and got 524 mpg. They missed out on first place by 1.1 mpg but broke their previous record of 288 mpg and took home a $1,000 prize.

The UrbanAutos’ car weighed in at 330 pounds and the ShopGirls’ car weighed 204 pounds. The vehicles have been updated and adapted from past years with the help of teachers and volunteers. The Eco Car program is a career and technical class offered at the high school.

The ShopGirls’ biggest project this year was building a carbon fiber chassis and putting in a new engine and wiring for their prototype car. They used the same body as last year but repainted it, Yadon said.

UrbanAutos put in a new engine, fuel tank and wiring but ran out of time to build a new body. They hope to do that next year, Green said.

The students plan to talk about what went right, what went wrong and what they could do better next time. They want to start working on designs for next year’s race right away.

Michael Werner teaches the Eco Car class. Many people think of shop classes and hands-on learning as a fallback plan for students who struggle academically, but that’s not the case, he said. A different style of learning doesn’t make a student more or less intelligent.

“Kids that go to this venue are equally as bright as the ones who are 4.0 and Ivy League bound,” Werner said. “They just have different ambitions.”

This year, the Eco Car teams dedicated their races to Vervia Gabriel, a longtime supporter of career and technical education and of the Eco Car program in particular. Gabriel died of cancer in May 2015.

“She was the one who really started this all,” Werner said.

Gabriel started the program in 2009 when she applied for a $10,000 grant for women in nontraditional roles. She helped the teams land sponsorships and worked with the school district to make sure the class could be offered each year.

“She just had this conviction that we could do this,” Werner said. “She, more than I, probably had to move some roadblocks out of the way because it’s not a traditional class to have these kids building a car and racing.”

Gabriel’s name was on both cars so the students could carry her memory with them during the races.

“We really lost someone who was living and breathing it, who made things happen,” Werner said. “She brought people together. This was in loving memory of our hero.”

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

LifeWise local co-directors Darcie Hammer and Sarah Sweeny talk about what a typical classroom routine looks like on Monday, April 14, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett off-campus Bible program draws mixed reaction from parents

The weekly optional program, LifeWise Academy, takes children out of public school during the day for religious lessons.

Protesters line Broadway in Everett for Main Street USA rally

Thousands turn out to protest President Trump on Saturday in Everett, joining hundreds of other towns and cities.

An EcoRemedy employee checks a control panel of their equipment at the Edmonds Wastewater Treatment Plant on Thursday, April 17, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds launches technology to destroy PFAS

Edmonds is the first city in the country to implement… Continue reading

Over a dozen parents and some Snohomish School District students gather outside of the district office to protest and discuss safety concerns after an incident with a student at Machias Elementary School on Friday, April 18, 2025 in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Parents protest handling of alleged weapon incident at Machias Elementary

Families say district failed to communicate clearly; some have kept kids home for weeks.

Irene Pfister, left, holds a sign reading “Justice for Jonathan” next to another protester with a sign that says “Major Crimes Needs to Investigate,” during a call to action Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Arlington. (Aspen Anderson / The Herald)
Arlington community rallies, a family waits for news on missing man

Family and neighbors say more can be done in the search for Jonathan Hoang. The sheriff’s office says all leads are being pursued.

Mary Ann Karber, 101, spins the wheel during Wheel of Forunte at Washington Oakes on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lunch and Wheel of Fortune with some Everett swinging seniors

She’s 101 and he’s 76. At Washington Oakes, fun and friendship are on the menu.

Man steals delivery van in Brier, deputies seek help identifying suspect

A man stole a delivery van Wednesday afternoon in Brier… Continue reading

Janet Garcia walks into the courtroom for her arraignment at the Snohomish County Courthouse on Monday, April 22, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett mother found competent to stand trial in stabbing death of 4-year-old son

A year after her arraignment, Janet Garcia appeared in court Wednesday for a competency hearing in the death of her son, Ariel Garcia.

Everett council member to retire at end of term

Liz Vogeli’s retirement from the council opens up the race in the November election for Everett’s District 4 seat.

State budget cuts could hurt education work at nonprofits

Programs the state legislature could cut include assistance to children in foster care and a program helping ninth graders stay on track to graduate.

The North Cascades Highway is seen from the Washington Pass overlook in 2021. (Sue Misao / The Herald)
North Cascades Highway reopens for 2025 season

The Washington State Department of Transportation is reminding travelers to stay alert and plan for weather conditions.

Children play and look up at a large whale figure hanging from the ceiling at the Imagine Children’s Museum on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Federal agency cancels $250k grant to Everett museum

The funding helped expand the Imagine Children Museum’s Little Science Lab program. The federal agency did not give a reason for the grant termination.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.