At 13 30, Carl left Town F for Town G, driving at a speed of 72 km/h. At 15 30, Howard also left Town F for Town G driving at a certain speed. Both of them did not change their speed throughout the journey. At 18 30, both of them passed a boutique that was 216 km away from Town G. How many minutes earlier did Howard reach Town G than Carl?

Distance that Carl travelled
= 5 x 72
= 360 km

Distance between Town F and Town G
= 360 + 216
= 576 km

Since Howard passed the boutique at the same time as Carl, it means that Howard travelled 360 km in 3 hours.

Howard's speed during the journey
= 360 ÷ 3
= 120 km/h

Duration that Howard took to reach Town G after passing the boutique
= 216 ÷ 120
= 1.8 h

Duration that Carl took to reach Town G after passing the boutique
= 216 ÷ 72
= 3 h

Difference between the time they took to reach Town G
= 3 - 1.8
= 1.2 h

1 h = 60 min
1.2 h = 1.2 x 60 = 72 min

Howard reached Town G 72 minutes earlier than Carl.

Answer(s): 72 min