A group of cowboy hat-wearing New York teenagers is one step closer to pushing the boundaries of energy efficiency after hours of tinkering with their battery-powered prototype.

More than 1,000 high school and university students from five countries are competing this weekend in the annual Shell* Eco-marathon Americas competition in Houston.

Two student teams from Newburgh Free Academy in New York stand out of the crowd with bright yellow T-shirts and cowboy hats with red bandanas. But like other teams, their futuristic prototype must pass inspection before hitting the streets of Houston.

Drowning out the sounds of buzzing drills, clanking tools and roaring engines, senior and team leader Marley Brackett took a break from fidgeting with fuses to share his thoughts on the