More than 3,000 students from 27 countries compete this weekend in what is without a doubt the slowest racing competition in the world. Speed is nothing to brag about in the 30th edition of the Shell Eco-marathon Europe: It’s all about fuel efficiency.

Slowly but surely, 198 student teams drive their self-built cars over a 1-mile (1.6 km) street circuit in Rotterdam, averaging 15.6 miles an hour (25 km/h). With speed out of the equation, the only way to win the competition is by efficient design, innovative technology, and a sophisticated driving strategy.

Last year’s winner, Team Microjoule from the technical school La Joliverie in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, France, completed the mandatory ten laps with a calculated fuel consumption of 2,980 kilometers on a