As the global demand for sustainable transportation grows and environmental concerns intensify, engineering students across the Americas are racing to design vehicles that go farther on less fuel. At the forefront of this effort is the Shell EcoMarathon Americas (SEMA) 2025, held in Indianapolis in April — a collegiate competition challenging students to push the boundaries of fuel efficiency through innovation, precision, and real-world application of engineering principles.
Cedarville University’s Supermileage team emerged as a standout at this year’s event, earning first place in the Prototype Vehicle Design category and fourth in the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Prototype division. Competing against teams from North and South America, Cedarville impressed judges with its streamlined vehicle, featuring flush-mounted windows and a laser alignment system that enabled steering accuracy within 0.007 degrees — or seven-thousandths of a degree.
Led by junior mechanical engineering student Sebastian Toledo of Ypsilanti, Michigan, the team approached the 2025 competition with clear goals and a commitment to improvement. After previous competitions revealed reliability issues with the vehicle’s transmission, the team spent the past year redesigning and converting the system to use a machine chain. This effort eliminated a recurring problem where the chain would come off and affect the rear suspension, ultimately allowing the team to compete without drivetrain failures.
Despite the design success and stronger mechanical performance, the team recorded a lower fuel efficiency than expected, achieving 749,23 miles per gallon. This marked a significant drop from earlier runs, which had reached up to 1355.37 MPG with the same vehicle, Karcharias, at SEMA 2023. After testing and review, the team attributed the issue to excess energy loss during coast-down, the phase where the vehicle rolls unpowered.
This year also brought added responsibility for Toledo, who served as team captain and oversaw vehicle registration, technical inspection, and communication with event officials. Alongside division leaders Evan Jackson of Georgetown, Kentucky, a mechanical engineering major who led the engine team, and electrical engineering major Logan Weathers of Ankeny, Iowa, who gave guidance to the electrical crew, Toledo helped guide a team that included many freshmen and sophomores gaining their first competition experience. Under the mentorship of faculty advisor Dr. Larry Zavodney, the team also made progress on a new electric prototype and continued development of a data acquisition system to monitor vehicle performance in real time.
“The Shell EcoMarathon is a fantastic opportunity to take what we’re learning in the classroom and apply it to a real-world engineering challenge,” said Toledo. “This year stretched all of us, and I’m incredibly grateful for the team’s effort, collaboration, and perseverance.”
The team is already looking ahead to next year’s competition with a focus on efficiency improvements, full-system testing, and training new team members.
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian?institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences, and professional fields. With 6,384 students, it ranks among Ohio's largest private universities and is recognized by?The Wall Street Journal?as being among the nation’s top three evangelical universities. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics, and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at?cedarville.edu.?