New X Prize offered for car that gets 100 MPG

The X Prize Foundation, the same folks who got the private space race jump started, has just offered a prize of US$ 10 million for the first team to offer a realistic car that gets 100 Miles Per Gallon. The two categories are: 4-passenger/4-wheel; and 2-passenger/unspecified wheels. The cars must be realistically manufacturable, not simply "science projects."

"It is time to put real innovation on the road. Winners must produce more than just concept cars. They must confront the realities of making, selling, and servicing cars" Mark Goodstein

Automotive X Prize

With the soaring costs of fuel, and the increasing environmental concerns, this new X Prize promises to have real impact on people around the globe. While over 1,000 inquires have come in from potential competitors I have my personal favorite in mind. Fly The Road These guys have a jump on the competition as they all ready have a working prototype. I'd buy one today if I could, and hope that with this prize, a clear message will be sent to Detroit, that the winds of change are blowing strong.

[edit on 3-4-2007 by Terapin]

With a weight of only 850 lbs, the powertrain is good for a 0-60 time of about 11 seconds, and a top speed of 95 mph (electronically limited). Construction has begun for the first prototype.
And yes, fuel consumption is estimated to be 330 mpg at 65 mph.

Aptera

so which one's better? Fly The Road says their car can go 100 MPG at 100 MPH compared to Aptera's 330 MPG at 65 MPH. if you were the judge, which one would you choose?

While that is a cool vehicle with promise, the model they show is a science project and I'd like to see a consumer model. It has no break lights, bumpers, windshield washers, etc., all of which are required by DOT. On a personal note, I prefer the seating of the Venture 1. As for the MPG claims, both systems are quite similar in scope and final performance should be close.

It doesn't matter how much cash these people offer. Once a fully operational vehicle is made the motor companies and oil companies will buy them out no matter what the cost. Remember, people tend to be really greedy and most would find it hard to turn down a a couple hundred million in cash. Once they are bought out the design will be destroyed along with all operational vehicles.

Just take for example the General Motors EV-1. Believe it or not folks we had an electric car and they have all been destroyed. GM EV-1

I believe this is one of the biggest conspiracies out there today. Read up on this, it will really make some of you mad. There is even a movie/documentary about it out.

this one hopes to be the consumer-model Terapin is looking for

The Loremo LS is powered by a 2 cylinder Turbo Diesel engine with 20 hp and 160km/h top speed. With its low weight of 450kg, it only needs 1.5l per 100km - I4U calculated that is approx. 157MPG!

PSFK Loremo
Loremo Official Website

Nice post Toreshi! The Germans have some solid engineering when it comes to efficient diesel vehicles. One liter VW

I hope VW and some of the other major manufacturers get into the spirit of the X prize and compete as well.

You can dismiss this but I think that car already existed a long time ago.

I was talking with a co-worker recently who told me about his uncle who purchased a new car back in the 70's I think. He drove the car for an unusually long period of time and the fuel gauge always showed the car was full of gas.

He went back to the dealership and told them there must be something wrong with the fuel gauge or something because it wasn't moving and they instantly took back the car and gave him another one, stating that he had received the 'wrong car'.

Make what you will of this story but this guy is a very honest person and wouldn't lie or invent this.

So now I'm just so incredibly skeptical of the auto industry (not that I wasn't skeptical before... this was just the straw that broke the camel's back for me).

The cars will have to pass a crash test. I think that may be the hardest part.

I just wanted to point out that the aptera is going to be a production model with a projected retail price of 20,000 US dollars. Also for those that do not know it won't have to pass a crash test in fact, because three wheeled vehicles are technically motorcycles as far as federal safety law is concerned.

As to whether or not lobbyists are working to close the loophole of the three wheeled car as we speak, well I would guess they are trying as hard as they can. In reality cars really don't need 4 wheels, especially small ones. And by eliminating one of the wheels in the rear it makes it vastly easier to build aerodynamic cars. That is a mainstay of how the aptera is going to do so well mileage wise.

Btw there is a thread in science and technology about the aptera that I started. Those of you that have found other high mpg hybrids or three wheeled cars please feel free to put in a link or start whole new threads.

The only way people are going to find out about these smaller companies is by people talking about them... Plus who knows how long until they start getting hurt by exterior pressure, in which case the more people that know about them the safer they are.

These companies put the lie to what the big automakers keep trying to tell us about how impossible it is to make a decently efficient and fun to drive car. All of these companies are doing it extremelly well and on small fractions of the budget of big companies.

So what is their excuse? and why aren't people yelling and screaming about their blatant lies? Because they don't know these other companies are out there!

That VW looks like the only one that would be an option for where I live. Most of these new vehicles don't look like they could hold up to heavy snow and 40-60mph winds that I have to deal with. I can't imagine how scary it would be to drive one of those three wheeled cars in a foot and a half of snow with ice everywhere. I guess these cars will fare better in the south of the US though.

That VW I posted was an experimental vehicle and not intended for production, it was just a test bed to prove to major companies, that it could indeed be done.

WOw the Loremo Concept is amazing! And it uses the same concept the aptera does. IT weighs around a third as much as a normal 4 seat car! This is the ONLY way we will viably reduce consumption in the short run. It looks to cost about the same as an aptera as well. (around 20,000) Either way I'd like one or both of them to become common, and I think they will if the companies don't get sabotaged... taht is the big IF though.

Originally posted by Terapin
I have my personal favorite in mind. Fly The Road

That is so cool! I'd love to get my hands on either the CarverOne or the VentureOne (the VentureOne looks nicer). It looks like so much fun.

I'm also looking forward to seeing what the various teams for this auto x-prize come up with. It should be interesting to see what all they come up with. Thanks for posting this Terapin.

[edit on 6-4-2007 by jra]