£5m International competition to produce 75mpg+ car launched
Mon 14 January 2008
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An international competition with a £5m prize aims to attract innovators to produce a viable ultra-high-mileage, low-emissions vehicle capable of exceeding fuel economy of 75 miles per gallon. The privately-backed competition has already attracted about 50 entries.
The Automotive X Prize, or AXP, is being supported by wealthy backers although the competition, along with the names of the backers, will not be formally announced until March.
According to an article in The Times, the teams will have a year to prepare for the first-round heats, in which they will have to prove their vehicles can exceed 75mpg. Thereafter, in a 10-stage showdown the cars will have to achieve at least 100mpg consistently. Spectators in the United States will be able to watch on a live web link.
The companies competing for the main prize will have to provide an affordable, safe, four-seat family car with the potential to appeal to ordinary buyers and a business plan to produce 10,000 a year. The team that meets the criteria and clocks up the best time across all 10 races will win the prize.
“We don’t want science projects, laboratory experiments or exclusive high-end products that most of us can’t buy,” says Don Foley, executive director of the AXP. “We don’t want vehicles that just look nice on the covers of magazines. We want super-efficient cars that people will want to go out and buy, right now.”
There are other 'X Prizes' under way in the fields of lunar exploration and genomics, but the AXP says it aims to tackle more urgent concerns – environmental sustainability and affordable transport for the foreseeable future.
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