Remember the annual Pinewood Derby?
Maybe the Cub Scouts had the right idea all along. . . to motivate and inspire building by competition; to race the finished products; to celebrate the diversity that comes when not all great building minds think a like. . . and to crown a winner.
In March 2008 at the New York International Auto Show, The X PRIZE Foundation and Progressive Auto-Insurance announced that they would joint-sponsor a competition where teams from all over the world build and bring to market 100 MPGe (miles per gallon energy equivalent) vehicles. And these are not science projects or "concept cars," either; these are cars that people will want to buy because they meet market needs for price, size, capability, safety, and performance.
And the prize for the team that wins the competition?
$10 million!!!
So it's no surprise that there are more than 100 competing teams, representing 136 different vehicles and 14 different fuel sources. It's amazing how quickly these things can be done when you dangle a $10 million carrot in front of innovative minds. So much for the days of big auto press releases whining about 35 mpg fuel economy standards!
Now there are strict guidelines for the X PRIZE competition.
After the applications were accepted last year, the applying teams had to undergo a process of evaluation to assess safety, cost, features, and business plans. Only the production-capable, consumer-friendly vehicles qualify to race in rigorous cross-country stage races this year and in 2010. These races will combine speed, distance, urban driving, and overall performance. The winning vehicles will exceed 100MPGe, as well as meet and hopefully surpass emissions standards. Of course, the winning vehicle will meet all of the criteria and complete the race course in the fastest time. For what would a race be without speed?
A winner will be selected from each of two classes in the Competition Division: Mainstream and Alternative.
"We've been working hard to make a difference in car insurance for 70 years," Progressive's CEO, Glenn Renwick, said of the company's sponsorship. "Now we have a chance to make a difference by supporting the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE. This competition will result in more choices of more fuel-efficient vehicles for drivers and will be a catalyst for moving this technology forward, faster."
The X PRIZE Foundation is probably best known for the Ansari X PRIZE for private suborbital spaceflight, a competition held in 2004. X PRIZE is an educational nonprofit seeking radical breakthroughs in technology, and making these breakthroughs tangible and marketable via generously-rewarded competitions. These competitions bring an international board of participants together to solve some of the world's greatest challenges.
Other sponsors for the competition include the U.S. Department of Energy, Adobe® and Idealab®, and Auto Research Center (ARC).
While the host cities for the race course portion of the competition have still not officially been announced, New York City has been named the host for the First Stage of Competition, scheduled to begin in September 2009.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg is enthusiastic about the competition: "Development of a super-efficient car would be a major step forward in the fight against global warming - and it would help us reach our goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in New York City by 30% by 2030. To maximize national and international awareness of the X PRIZE, I am pleased to announce that New York will be the starting point for the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE race next year."
In the months ahead, Green Chip Living will be covering the teams, the competition, and the outcome of this very exciting event. But no matter the outcome, we all win.
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