The 20 teams are taking part in the Shell Eco Marathon in Rotterdam and the winner will be the vehicle which completes the most circuits of the track on the least amount of fuel.
It aims to encourage upcoming designers and engineers to focus on fuel efficiency and present the next generation of climate-friendly vehicles.
“The Shell Eco Marathon provides a platform for young constructors to test out vehicles that they have designed and developed themselves,” said Shell's chief scientist Wolfgang Warnecke.
Germany is the second most represented country after France which has 57 teams.
The 16 students from the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences taking part in the competition have called their carbon-fibre vehicle Pingu II. It weighs just 45 kilos and is driven by a fuel cell powering an electric motor geared to the front wheel.
The Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt has a team competing this year for the first time. Their vehicle, Incredible, is powered by an Ethanol hybrid motor and is described as "road-suitable".
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