The “holy grail” of vehicle mileage, the Progressive Automotive XPrize may soon be awarded. This $ 5 million prize is for creating a car that gets 100 miles per gallon. .
Detailing the Automotive Xprize
The Automotive X prize is one of the many prizes supported by the X Prize foundation. Progressive Auto Insurance announced the Automotive XPrize in 2008. The competition judges cars based on the standard EPA mileage estimates. The main X Prize is awarded to a four-passenger automobile. The vehicles entered in the Automotive XPrize competition must have only proof of concept, not be ready for full-on production.
The competition for the X Prize
In Michigan, April 26 was the start of the X Prize competition. The cars are all being put through severe paces to test their functionality. City driving is emulated in some of the tests. Other around-the-track competitions are intended to test highway driving. Though the stated miles per gallon goal is 110, a team only has to reach 100 miles per gallon to get the prize. There needs to be certain safety and performance thresholds met as well.
Ingenuity on display at XPrize races
The real-world conditions the Automotive XPrize competitors have to work in lend themselves to last-minute ingenuity. The passenger cabin of an XPrize vehicle has to stay below 90 degrees. Some teams are using homemade air conditioners to make sure they meet that requirement. Techniques intended to help make fuel going even further with driving techniques are also making an appearance.
The real possibility of winning the XPrize
Two autos are fighting it out for the $ 5 million of the XPrize. Both will be taken out of the public eye and put through a wide variety of safety tests. If both pass, then the $5 million Automotive XPrize will be awarded.
