VW Golf FSI: Shell fuel economy world record challenge

On January 17, John and Helen Taylor embark on a trip around the world by car - fuelled by The Shell Fuel Economy Formulation - in an attempt to set a new around-the-world Guinness World Record for fuel efficiency. This attempt is set to cover approximately 28,970 kilometres, across 25 countries, in 70 days…and all on 50 fill-ups or less.

John and Helen are holders of thirty-four notable fuel economy-driving achievements but this will be their biggest challenge ever. By the time they return to London in late March, they will have traveled across Europe, Asia, Australia and America. For this challenge, the Taylors approached Shell to be their exclusive fuel provider.

To further demonstrate their commitment to helping people around the world achieve better fuel efficiency, Shell will be road testing their newest Fuel Economy petrol formulation for the challenge, which Shell plans to introduce to the public in the future. The Taylors’ journey will provide Shell researchers with a unique opportunity to assess the performance and effectiveness of its new formulation, and will also enable them to further develop fuel-efficient driving practices appropriate to widely differing road conditions. These learnings will be added to Shell’s “FuelStretch” principles - a set of tips developed to help drivers around the world achieve fuel economy.

John and Helen will be driving a standard Volkswagen Golf FSI 1.6. For the attempt to qualify as an official Guinness World Record, John and Helen must travel in one direction only. The car needs to be a standard production model. There are eighteen other strict rules and regulations covering antipodal points, East/West co-ordinates, independent adjudication, log books, witnesses, pre-travel engineering checks, and driving times.

Their trip will demonstrate how consumers around the world can be more fuel-efficient - no matter where they live or what vehicle they drive. Shell’s newest petrol/gasoline formulation, the new Fuel Economy Formula, is being designed to help offer improved engine efficiency by improving friction control and increasing engine cleanliness, making it the perfect fuel for this challenge. The new fuel will sit alongside and complement Shell’s premium fuels as another high quality product that differentiates our fuels from the competition.

You'll be able to track it all as it happens on www.fuelchallenge.com.

Related news: GermanCarBlog, VW Golf

Source: Shell

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