Progressive Automotive X-Prize competitors roundup

With about three weeks left to go, the Progressive Automotive X-Prize has already got 25 submissions (20 names have been publicly released) with creators ranging from college students to large auto makers already in the game. Here's the deal with the contest: the cars must be production-capable and fall in with federal safety guidelines, and it's got to be possible to produce and sell 10,000 of them annually, with a working business plan in place for this to happen by 2014. The car must deliver at least 100 MPGs, and CO2 emissions can't exceed 200 grams per kilometer. The prize for the competition is ten million dollars. We've seen some of these in the past -- Aptera's 2e, MDI's AirCar, and the Tata Nano are all on offer -- but there are a few new guys, too. Some of the more interesting entries are the totally rad looking diesel Avion which has gotten up to 103.7 miles per gallon, Kinetix Motors' diesel-electric hybrid E4 Sports Hatch, which should cost less than $25,000 with a top speed of 95 miles per hour. The company also claims the sporty ride goes from zero to sixty miles in 6.1 seconds. Finally, there's Physics Lab of Lake Havasu Green Giant, an electric truck that gets 50 miles per gallon on its battery, with plans to bump that figure to 100 miles per gallon using other sources of energy. Check out the gallery of other prospects, and hit the read link for the full, delicious list.

Gallery: Automotive X-Prize

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[cy21 @ Feb 4th 2009 11:48PM]

For a moment there.. i thought that this is the price for the space contest.. lol

[cjwild @ Feb 5th 2009 1:01AM]

i hope it comes with the stone-like parking block

[Spiraling Shape @ Feb 5th 2009 1:58AM]

GM could really use the $10 Million. All they need to do is release the Chevy Volt before 2014.

[Harkonian @ Feb 5th 2009 6:36PM]

Go Aptera go!

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Feb 6th 2009 2:33PM]

Putting a Cubs sticker almost guarantees that team is gonna lose.

[TomTom2007 @ Feb 4th 2009 11:54PM]

Hmmm... space... *drool*...

[KM @ Feb 4th 2009 11:58PM]

Looks like a modern day DeLorean

[Plothole @ Feb 5th 2009 12:34AM]

I wonder how long it takes to reach 88 miles per hour?

[Electromodo @ Feb 5th 2009 1:06PM]

I like it!
If it's below $25K - then I like it even better!

[Hector @ Feb 5th 2009 12:11AM]

Sexy, great MPG, and made by college kids.
All you would want in a car.

[Jongscx @ Feb 5th 2009 12:40AM]

...how does a truck get 50 miles per gallon when running on battery? Did they make some kind of liquid battery that nobody told me about?

[MadMurph @ Feb 5th 2009 12:56AM]

Does the rock behind the wheel not worry anyone else? Were brakes removed to reduce weight?

[Josh @ Feb 5th 2009 12:59AM]

All that yet they couldn't get the parking brake to work? Why do they have a rock behind the wheel?

[Pedobear @ Feb 5th 2009 1:09AM]

Your MOM won the Automotive X-Prize.






Wait, that's a good thing.

[ekow2kn3 @ Feb 5th 2009 1:11AM]

You see, that rock IS the parking break, simplicity is key in efficient design

[anus1220 @ Feb 5th 2009 1:19AM]

is there a law or something that i'm unaware of that requires non gas powered cars to look hideous?

[absinthe party @ Feb 5th 2009 7:35AM]

Yeah, they're called Newton's Laws of Motion.

[derekwf @ Feb 5th 2009 1:43AM]

"zero to sixty miles in 6.1 seconds."

So it can travel about 10 miles a second? And get 100mpg? Impressive!

[James @ Feb 5th 2009 1:58AM]

I wonder how they can do that with a top speed of 95 mph...oh wait i get it now its a typo...way to go engadget it must be mps (miles per second).

[ilh @ Feb 5th 2009 5:07AM]

CO2 emissions can't exceed 200 g/km? If these are meant to be a "new generation of viable, super-efficient vehicles that help break our addiction to oil" then why is the limit so high? Average emissions from new cars now are 160 g/km.

[Jaspa @ Feb 5th 2009 8:04AM]

yea... and small and efficient cars are even below 100g/km.
i think you cant even get a good mpg rating with co2 emissions above 200g/km.
weird. :P

[Omivaun @ Feb 5th 2009 6:01AM]

Is it me or does the E4 look like a pacer when viewed from behind?

[Omivaun @ Feb 5th 2009 6:04AM]

is it me or does the red avion car look like a pacer when viewed from the back?

[absinthe party @ Feb 5th 2009 7:38AM]

Didn't VW have an entry a while ago, or was that just a test concept? It was like a two-seater, bullet looking thing.

[absinthe party @ Feb 5th 2009 7:39AM]

Oh!

http://www.greencar.com/features/vw-235-mpg-car/

It's not part of the Automotive X-Prize competition, but still emits general badassery.

[R-Tug @ Feb 5th 2009 9:09AM]

I have always wondered this:

How does one measure MPG with a battery? Is there a gallon of battery? Wouldn't a more acceptable measurement system be MPC (miles per charge) or MPKwH? Just so long as its a measurement system based on how many miles that a car gets for battery and not gas.

[Jon Acheson @ Feb 5th 2009 11:02AM]

That Super 7 running on biodiesel might be fun to take for a spin if the weather was nice, but I can't see how it would ever be practical as an everyday car.

[Hackettman @ Feb 5th 2009 3:01PM]

Whats the deal with the 4x4 truck?

[streel007 @ Feb 10th 2009 1:35PM]

OMG i cant believe I saw the Avion on here!!

One of my professors at Virginia Tech a few years back was one of the designers and has one...ive been in it, its a pretty sweet little car. I think his has a diesel from a VW rabbit. One of the really funky things was the flip down headlights...an are in the center of the hood would drop down and there was a 4 light bar, it also had side view mirrors mounted inside the cabin to reduce drag