For the third year in a row, students at Université Laval have built one of the most fuel-efficient cars on the planet, a slick three-wheeler that gets an amazing 2,564.8 mpg.

Of course, the car averages 15 mph and isn't very comfortable, but speed and practicality are not paramount at the Shell Eco-marathon. Squeezing every possible inch from a gallon of fuel is the only objective, and on that measure the Alerion Supermileage team trounced all challengers. Not only did the team from Quebec spank the second-place finishers by 766.1 mpg, its car (pictured) topped last year's performance by 77 mpg.

"With more teams participating this year, there are a lot of really smart and innovative fuel-efficient ideas to be seen," team manager Anthony Bernier said in a statement. "We put a lot of time and hard work into our vehicle and are very proud of how we did."

Photo: Shell