West Philly High preps plug-in hybrid in bid for Auto X Prize

While we spent our high school days trying not to cut our thumbs off in shop class, these West Philly High School kids have been making a run on the $10 million Automotive X Prize. They're building a plug-in diesel hybrid in an attempt to reach that magical 100 mpg mark "without sacrificing style, safety or affordability." Pictured above is a previous project, a K1 Attack modded up hybrid and biofuel-style. Seems like they've got the chops, but they're certainly up against a lot of competition.

[bartoron @ Mar 21st 2008 3:06PM]

See, GM? You can have a cool looking biofuel hybrid!

But for the mean time, feel free to continue making crappy Yukons.

[LiqwidZero @ Mar 21st 2008 3:16PM]

They do have an Equinox hydrogen concept, right now.

I just wished that someone would start SELLING their concepts.

[wickedpheonix @ Mar 21st 2008 4:02PM]

They came to our high school, some of my fellow seniors got to drove those fuel-cell Equinoxes and then asked how much they cost - a cool million. So yeah, not anytime soon :P

[Zelatio @ Mar 21st 2008 4:17PM]

I doubt GM would let your fellow seniors drive a million dollar Equinox.

[mikejonas @ Mar 21st 2008 3:08PM]

In West Philadelphia, born and raised,
On a playground was where I spent most of my days...

[Frun @ Mar 21st 2008 3:10PM]

What? cuz I been in the lab with a pen and a pad, trying to get this damn label off, this is the millenium of aftermath!

[Henry @ Mar 21st 2008 3:10PM]

I whistled for a plug-in hybrid and when it came near...

[eggothewaffle @ Mar 21st 2008 3:15PM]

The license plate said "X PRIZE" and it had sustainability in the mirror!

[The General @ Mar 21st 2008 4:22PM]

I'm pretty sure Dr. Dre wasn't in the theme song for Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

[hexo @ Mar 21st 2008 5:39PM]

How to annoy a Philadelphian, lesson 1: Mentioning/Singing the Fresh Prince theme song any time West Philadelphia comes up in conversation.

[kbnguy @ Mar 21st 2008 3:09PM]

where's teh "bling bling"?

[T H @ Mar 22nd 2008 12:36AM]

Always has to be a bad apple in the bunch.

[Javaflash @ Mar 21st 2008 3:11PM]

These kids sometimes are the dark horse who surprises everyone.

[darkstar @ Mar 21st 2008 3:13PM]

from west philly???
say wha?

[Rob Conway @ Mar 21st 2008 3:18PM]

i know right?
215 All Day!

[marcin @ Mar 21st 2008 3:18PM]

explain to me how a high school got the funding for this.

then explain how high school kids are somehow able to engineer a vehicle that scientists and engineers at large auto manufacturers still have not perfected.

[andy @ Mar 21st 2008 3:42PM]

They just took off the shelf industrial parts and combined and controlled them in new ways.

It's really not that hard, which is why it's so hard to understand why Detroit can't get with this century.

[wickedpheonix @ Mar 21st 2008 4:04PM]

what do you think dude - electrifying the car is NOT in Detroit's best interest because it would cannibalize the sales of all their gasoline cars when it comes out - there would be 2-year waiting lists for electric/hydrogen cars and huge lots full of gasoline cars that have been marked down $10,000 and are still not selling.

[andy @ Mar 21st 2008 4:30PM]

You don't need a full redesign or make a new model to make a hybrid car. You just need to make it and put it on the lot.

Hybrids:
Honda Civic
Chevy Silverado
Cadillac Escalade
Ford Escape
Honda Accord


And how does a gas or diesel hybrid canabalize automobiles that are already built and in the market? They cost more, and people have to decide if it's worth the extra expense.

Detroit can do it now, or go ahead and go bankrupt when Honda and Toyota run them out of business.

[sinz @ Mar 21st 2008 10:05PM]

Um, a K-1 Attack is hardly an "off the shelf part". Unless you have $100K+ on the shelves where you shop.

[David @ Mar 22nd 2008 10:48AM]

Easy: Lots of external propping-up/funding, and skipping their reading, writing, and 'rithetic, which would probably have benefited their education far, far more that building this stupid car.

This is a political photo-op if you ask me.

[marcin @ Mar 21st 2008 3:21PM]

nvm these kids go to the West Philadelphia High School Academy for Automotive and Mechanical Engineering.

i never knew specialized high schools existed in the US.

[Seoultrain @ Mar 21st 2008 3:26PM]

I went to an Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology. just a long name for "nerd school." Fun times. There were also Engineering and Business schools, even Culinary Arts and Hotel Management. Yeah, seemed weird to me, too.

And they probably got funding and donations from sponsors and grants. My school was rolling in dough.

[LiqwidZero @ Mar 21st 2008 3:47PM]

You wouldn't believe it, but, even here in Alabama, we have technical career schools. I went to one for three years--Limestone County Career Technical Center. The best thing was our FIRST robotics team. I really want to start a VEX team, sometime in the future.

[kyle allen @ Mar 21st 2008 3:37PM]

im a total kit car fan and all, dont get me wrong, but if your guna make a car to produce, make you own dang design!

[TerryWood @ Mar 21st 2008 3:45PM]

based on the AutoBlog green pictures; looks to be power by VW-Audi TDI.

The car has RossTech Vag-Com stickers on the front bumper.

[kobayashi @ Mar 21st 2008 4:09PM]

West philly kids did this? I thought they spent most of their days on the playground, chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool and all shootin some b-ball outside of the school.

[skant @ Mar 21st 2008 4:14PM]

first thing i thought of

[Chris72b9 @ Mar 21st 2008 4:21PM]

:D That's pretty funny.

Besides the Fresh Prince jokes, I saw one of their cars at the Philly Auto show. Hell, I could see myself driving one of those.

*cough* With a MOPAR 318 under the hood

[Beef Supreme @ Mar 21st 2008 4:24PM]

Then couple of guys they where up to no good, started building hybrid cars in my neighborhood. Kinda like that?, Right?

[Okki @ Mar 21st 2008 4:28PM]

Big whoop... so they shoved a (bio-)diesel engine in a kit-car. How is this innovating?

Originally it was based of a Honda Accord. Now you can buy them in a turn-key version with a Ford motor. In other words; yes, they built a nice vehicle that was engineered very well by a bunch of engineers from the Czech Republic, now owned and sold by a Dutch company. I bet if you call them, they will deliver it from the factory with a flexfuel (i.e synthetic hoses) or diesel motor. all for around $70,000 the last time I checked.

http://www.k1roadster.nl/gb/home.php

Anyone else want to use my soapbox now :)

[bpizzle @ Mar 21st 2008 5:11PM]

I smell another feel good movie with Denzel Washington and or Samuel L Jackson as the out classed under prepared teacher.

[Carl @ Mar 21st 2008 5:17PM]

I seem to remember seeing this on future cars maybe. Or some other show kinda like that. Didn't strike me as anything very innovative. I mean anyone can slap together some parts. But the actual engineering and desin of components is another story. Hell I might dable in making one of my vechicles electric. probably jeep since they're alittle easier to work on.

[mattwier @ Mar 21st 2008 6:17PM]

In West Philadelphia, Born and Raised. I live NW of Philly, Philly's a fun place if you've never been there + anytime you order a 'Philly' Cheese steak from anywhere outside of SouthWest PA, it's not a real Philly Cheese steak and not even close to the real thing. Kudos to these kids.

[David @ Mar 22nd 2008 10:55AM]

You mean SE Phillly.

I wasn't born and raised in Philly, but I live 2 blocks from Geno's now. SO OVERRATED!

Yawwwwwwwwn I've had maybe 3 in 12 years of living in Philly.

Ditto for Tastekakes. They REALLY suck.

What made you bring up cheesesteaks anyhow? No ones is discussing them here.

Is that all ya got????

[Allen @ Mar 21st 2008 6:29PM]

Someone asked how a bunch of kids could do this.

Guys, I can go to a hardware store, get a DC electric motor, and then just standard car batteries, and make a car move on that. Hell, 50mph is easy to accomplish that way.

Detroit stating that it would take the scientific endeavors of the planet to make an electric car reminds me of when the New York Times ran an article at the beginning of last century. In it they stated that "it take the combined efforts of scientists, philosophers, and engineers millions of years to create man made flight."

On the very same day far south of New York, someone by the last name of "Wright" wrote in his diary "we finished unpacking the last of the parts for the new machine."

What Detroit doesn't want you to know is that electric cars have been possible for more than a decade. They'll make sure to remind you that hybrids cost more than equivalent cars of the same size, but they'll neglect to mention that a fully loaded Prius is $24,000, and that you can deck out a Civic for that much, or an Accord (without the hybrid powertrain) into the $30,000 mark. Hence, the Prius is actually not that expensive.

I remember a conversation I had with a friend who said he would buy a Prius if it wasn't more expensive than "everything else." He then went out and bought a Toyota Avalon, which, counter to his statements, starts above the price of the Prius. He felt like a dumbass, I tell you...

[Moses Jiggetts @ Mar 21st 2008 11:33PM]

215 all day baby 47th and locust stand up!

and big up to all the haters and eventual bandwagon riders

nice to hear WP in the news for a different kind of bullet

[David @ Mar 22nd 2008 10:58AM]

This is an ENGLISH forum. Are you even capable of writing in proper English?

You must have gone to this high-school, yo.

[Niralisherni @ Mar 22nd 2008 7:09AM]

Wow that is a beautiful car there and it is very ambitious of the students to think that they can make a bid for the 10 million dollar auto prize. i wish them luck. I suppose awareness among students about the environment is high and they also want to get in on the mission to improve fuel efficiency and lower emissions. - http://www.zapworld.com