Students unveil car that runs on any green fuel
Delft's Eco-Runner student team presented its latest concept car, which can switch between different e-fuels.
Published on May 28, 2026
© Eco-Runner Team Delft
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Eco-Runner, a student team at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), revealed Eco-Runner XVI, its latest car concept. The vehicle is a compact city car designed to run on multiple sustainable fuels — a concept the team calls "fuel flexibility." The vehicle was unveiled at the Koninklijke Schouwburg in The Hague on 27 May.
The reveal marks a deliberate shift in direction for Eco-Runner Team Delft, which has spent over two decades pioneering hydrogen-powered vehicles. In 2023, the team set a Guinness World Record by traveling 2,488 kilometers on less than one kilogram of hydrogen, and in 2024, they built the first street-legal hydrogen car constructed by students. Now, rather than championing a single fuel, they are asking a different question altogether: what if the vehicle adapts to whatever sustainable fuel is available?
Switching between fuels
The Eco-Runner XVI achieves this through a micro gas turbine, the key technology enabling multi-fuel capability. Unlike a conventional piston engine, which relies on precisely timed explosions, a micro gas turbine burns fuel continuously in a steady airstream. This makes it far more tolerant of different fuel properties, allowing the car to switch between fuels such as biomethanol and bio-ethanol without major modifications.
The team argues that flexibility, not uniformity, is the more resilient path toward sustainable mobility. With energy prices volatile, grid congestion already causing supply shortfalls, and infrastructure build-out for any single fuel taking years, locking in one solution carries real risk. A fuel-flexible vehicle, they contend, can accelerate the energy transition precisely because it does not depend on a single outcome.
Broader applications
Beyond the passenger car proof of concept, Eco-Runner sees broader potential for the technology in sectors where electrification is particularly challenging — including heavy transport, maritime applications, and aviation.
The team's next milestone is a full system test at Twente Airport on 11 June, followed by a public demonstration at Circuit Zandvoort and a season finale at the circuit's Summer Trophy in July.