Eco-marathon winner and 92-foot-long buses

MPG champ
A team from Université Laval in Quebec, Canada, won the Internal Combustion First Prize with a best run of 2,564.8 miles per gallon in the Prototype class in the Shell Eco-marathon Americas, a challenge for students to design, build and test fuel-efficient vehicles that travel the farthest distance using the least amount of energy. For a list of winners, visit shell.com/ecomarathon.

Lengthy savings
Curitiba, a city in Brazil, is reducing the number of buses on its streets with the introduction of 544 92-foot-long, double-articulated buses powered by fuel made from soybeans. The Volvo-powered buses are expected to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions 50 percent more than standard buses. Bus sensors can turn red traffic lights green to improve commute times.

--Wheelbase Communications, NWautos staff