10 Million USD X-Prize for Fuel Efficient Cars

[sriramv.iyer]

You might have heard about X-Prize for launching a vehicle to space (that got concluded) - We now have an X-Prize for highly fuel efficient cars - As much as 42 kmpl.

The test runs like the latest autocar/fiesta claiming 33 kmpl will not hold good - This is why - "The purse will be split between two categories: mainstream and alternative cars. Mainstream cars must carry four or more passengers and have climate control, an audio system and 10 cubic feet of cargo space.

They also must have four or more wheels, hit 60 miles per hour in less than 12 seconds and have a minimum top speed of 100 miles per hour and a range of 200 miles."

Read more: X Prize offering $10M purse for 100-mpg vehicle - CNN.com

Some international car makers have signed up - Will Tara Tiny / Tata Nano (not the current version, but some future iteration) even apply?

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

You might have heard about X-Prize for launching a vehicle to space (that got concluded) - We now have an X-Prize for highly fuel efficient cars - As much as 42 kmpl.

The test runs like the latest autocar/fiesta claiming 33 kmpl will not hold good - This is why - "The purse will be split between two categories: mainstream and alternative cars. Mainstream cars must carry four or more passengers and have climate control, an audio system and 10 cubic feet of cargo space.

They also must have four or more wheels, hit 60 miles per hour in less than 12 seconds and have a minimum top speed of 100 miles per hour and a range of 200 miles."

Read more: X Prize offering $10M purse for 100-mpg vehicle - CNN.com

Some international car makers have signed up - Will Tara Tiny / Tata Nano (not the current version, but some future iteration) even apply?

The current version itself cant be expected to give 42kmpl. Adding a huuge supercharger to make sure the car does 0-100 in 12 seconds will definitely hurt the fuel economy.

I dont think anyone can make such a car. Unless it's on some sort of alternative fuel.

[sriramv.iyer]

Originally Posted by nikhilb2008

I dont think anyone can make such a car. Unless it's on some sort of alternative fuel.

Hi Nikhil - Thats the whole idea of X-Prize - Not just alternative fuel - They want a quantum shift in people's thinking. When people thought space travel would cost billions, Ansari X Prize (the first one) challenged people to build sub orbital satellites in a few millions of dollars. There were a lots of participants and a team called 'Mojave Space Ventures' got the first prize of 10 Million USD. Now the technologies developed are really furthering the limits of personal space aviation. [Richard Branson comes to my mind immediately]

I am sure this prize of 10 Million USD and the prestige that goes with it will trigger many small companies (may be big ones too) to compete. And, in the end it will be, we, who will be the winners.

"Incrementalism is the worst enemy of innovation" - By going by improvements over existing technologies, we may not be able to make it. Automotive vendors need to think differently to achieve this.

Tata, surprised me with their innovativeness with Nano - I felt that they can repeat their success if they put their mind to it. I shouldnt have mentioned about Ford Fiesta - It just added to confusion. I must have said that doing arcane tests like these are not counted (Getz CRDi once advertised a mileage of 45 Kmpl - Trust me! I saw the poster with my own eyes in a showroom - More on this later)

So, to conclude, I feel that by posing such incredible challenges, state of the technology would advance for the better of all. We all need a push sometimes

[girishbhat]

There is a car called "Ale". According to their website [http://www.fuelvaporcar.com/html/the_plan.html] they already archived 92mpg [2.56 L/100km = 39kmpl], 0-60 in 5 seconds. And next plan is breaking the 100mpg barrier and winning the X-PRIZE by the next prototype with a series hybrid.
FuelVapor Technologies - fuel efficient vehicle automobile high mileage ale'
Unbelievable..