A car that goes 1,000 km with just a litre of fuel

The lightweight vehicle named Eco-Dubai 1 is in its final stage of construction and will begin testing in the next two weeks.

The product of almost two years of work by students at the Higher Colleges of Technology Dubai Men's College, the vehicle is half a metre wide, two metres long and half a metre high and weighs about 25 kg.

It will enter a race in July against similarly designed cars from around the world, including four other vehicles produced in the UAE.

Ahmad Khamis Al Suwaidi, one of the students behind the car, said: "Petrol is not going to last forever. One day we're going to run out. So in terms of developing a local eco-car industry, it starts with us. We're the future of the UAE in this."

The students will put their creation to the test at Shell's Eco-Marathon to be held July 4-7 in Kuala Lumpur.

The competition is based on designing a car that can travel the farthest on just one litre of fuel.

Students are allowed to use electricity, solar or hybrid technologies to reach their goal.

The record for the longest distance travelled is held by students from France's Polytech Nantes University, who designed a car that travelled almost 4,900 km.