Tired and frustrated over the increasing fuel prices? A team of 11 engineering students claim to hold the key to unlock the door to more economical and happier drives. Team Inferno from Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology (MVIT) has developed a prototype of a car which delivers a mileage of a whopping 240 km per litre.

Team Inferno is one of the 12 teams from India participating in the Shell Eco Marathon, scheduled to be held from July 4 to 7 at Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Their car, named Drona, will compete with cars developed by 150 other teams from Asia.

“We started brainstorming over this from September last year. The actual work on the car started in February. We were determined to develop a car that delivers a super mileage, which is one of the requirements of the competition,” said Avinash Hegde, a first year Mechanical Engineering student and a member of Team Inferno.

Drona’s prototype, as of now, can accommodate one person. The extraordinary mileage is achieved with a modified Bajaj engine, aluminium chassis, electronic fuel injection, aerodynamic design, direct transmission and other factors.

“The prototype has been developed with the competition in mind. We have not thought about factors such as suspensions as the tracks at Sepang are flat,” added Nischal Muralidhar, another Mechanical Engineering student.

The prototype uses glass-fibre reinforced plastic for its outer body and can race up to 60 km per hour. “The prototype is ready and will be on its way to Malaysia for the marathon. We have spent nearly Rs 2.5 lakh on this,” said Avinash.

Nischal added that this was not the last of Drona. “We know there is a great potential. With the help of sponsors, we are determined to come up with another version that can deliver better mileage in city conditions,” he said.