Ultra-light vehicle maker wins top Automotive X Prize award
Wed 22 September 2010
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The 'Edison2 Very Light Car number 98', made by a Virginia-based company, was the winner of the 2010 Automotive X first prize. The Edison2 was awarded $5m for its use of lightweight materials, and superior aerodynamics. The Progessive X Prize foundation divided the $10 million prize fund between three teams out of 111 competing over the last 30 months to create a safe and effective production-ready vehicle capable of 100mpg.
The car is powered by a single-cylinder motorcycle engine, burning a mix of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, mounted at the back of an extremely lightweight frame. The designers opted for an internal combustion engine to avoid the weight added by the use of batteries which - according to the CEO - took more than their $5m share of the prize, to develop.
Peter Diamandis, chairman and CEO of the X Prize Foundation, said: “We’ve seen a shift in the market since we first launched this competition, and a greater awareness by people everywhere to think more seriously about the actions we take, and how they affect our environment”.
The other two winners took home $2.5m each for electric drive vehicles. Team X-Tracer from Switzerland won for a car that got more than 197mpg and Li-Ion motors from North Carolina, who produced the Move2, a two-seat electric vehicle with a maximum range of 200 miles.
The prize was established three years ago by the X Prize Foundation to create a car that goes at least 100 miles per gallon or energy equivalent. The winning cars also need to be able to travel 200 miles on a single tank or charge, be produced commercially and pass a number of other tests, including speed trials, safety tests and a session in a dynamometer chamber.
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