Teams competing in the Shell* Eco-marathon Europe achieved new milestones in solar and hydrogen fuel cell efficiency Sunday. Italian team mecc-Sun traveled 688 miles (1,108 kilometers) on just 1 kilowatt hour of energy with its solar-powered car, while French team Polytech Nantes beat its own record by driving 366 miles (590 kilometers) per kilowatt hour in its hydrogen-powered entry.

The competition kicked off at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Germany Thursday with 183 teams from 24 countries. Reflecting the increasing importance of electric cars within the driving landscape, cars with electric engines (hydrogen, solar or plug-in) had their own e-Mobility category, separate from the internal combustion group, for the first time in the event’s history.

French team Microjoule from technical school La