New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg at the official start of the Auto X Prize.

Once all of the designers and teams get their ducks in a row and prep their vehicles for the cross-country portion of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize in 2009 and 2010, they're going to need places to go. For now, all we know is that the route will start in New York City in September 2009 and end in, well, somewhere in California I'm guessing. The X Prize organizers announced yesterday that "interest is high" in hosting some of the events in between the coasts, and listed 14 cities that have said they'd like to host a stage race: Albuquerque, Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Denver, Indianapolis, New York, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle and St. Louis.

The stage races will take place over (likely) ten stops and each "will feature a driving competition over city, suburban and rural roads between 30 and 200 miles in length." The races will show that the 100 mpge cars can achieve their numbers under real-world conditions.

Another new tidbit: there are now 94 teams that want to participate in the competition. Seems likely that we'll have over 100 by the time the application deadline hits at the end of the summer.

[Source: X PRIZE Foundation]

John McCain's (R) call for a $300 million prize for better automotive battery is still making waves. The latest to raise a voice are the people who are already offering some prize money for cleaner cars: the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE. Of course, the AXP is a much smaller prize purse ($10m) and is for an entire car and production plans. Don Foley, the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE's executive director, has issued the following statement (read the entire release after the break):

We commend Senator McCain for recognizing that great innovations can arise from the spirit of competition. But creating a new battery is only part of a broader challenge to solve our country's energy crisis and dependence on foreign oil. We must also look seriously at developing new vehicles, especially those that are production capable. There's no single path to energy independence; we need to explore many different technologies, fuels and vehicles before the American public can determine the most practical, environmentally-friendly and energy conscious solution for the future. We commend all public and private sector efforts to bring attention to these issues, including those by our title sponsor Progressive, and we look forward to being a part of the solution.

So, it's not really a put down - the AXP wouldn't dare - but it does bolster the general criticisms that have been issued in response to McCain's idea that it just isn't well thought out. Democrats Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi, for example, have both criticized McCain's proposal.

[Source: X PRIZE Foundation]

A month ago, Tata Motors announced they would be entering two vehicles in the Automotive X Prize. The company's involvement with the 100 mpge challenge has now deepened as Ratan Tata, the Chairman of Tata Sons (which owns Tata Motors, the maker of the Tata Nano, among other companies) has become a member of the X Prize Foundation's Board of Trustees. The President of BT Americas, Michael Boustridge, also joined the Board. The Board and the X Prize Foundation are in charge of more than just the Progressive Automotive X Prize, as the X Prize's "Revolution through Competition" model is also trying to find new ways to get back to the moon among other endeavors. Bios of both new Board members are available after the break.

Hybrid Technologies, the company which offers the (not very popular) electric Mini Cooper and the all electric L1X-7 sports car, has announced plans to enter the Progressive Automotive X Prize. The vehicle that they will be entering looks to be an extremely sporty vehicle, and would compete in the mainstream category, meaning that it must offer at least four seats. That's two more than the Tesla Roadster, for those keeping count of such things. Two versions of the vehicle are said to be in the works, one extended-range electric-vehicle which would offer 220 miles per gallon to go along with its 150 to 180 mile range and a fully electric version which would sell for a cheaper price. Considering the cost of HT's current vehicles, though, we're not holding our breath for a rock-bottom figure.

We have no real details on what would power either vehicle, though Popular Mechanics' report indicates that HT's Ron Cerven is predicting very wild things from the vehicle. Power levels over that of the incredible new Corvette ZR1 are being thrown around. With talk like that, we'd love to see a real product roll out of the Hybrid Technologies factory, something that is planned to take place this September.


[Source: Popular Mechanics, thanks for the tip, Doug!]

Click on the image for more shots of the TVA Gazelle

In the last few years, we've witnessed a rash of new three and four-wheeled vehicles which are radically different than what is currently considered normal for automobiles. Many of these tilting designs have been created expressly to combat the growing problems associated with congestion and emissions. Add another unique machine to that list, the TVA Gazelle. Designer Phillip James from Australia is tackling the efficiency issue with an new design, the most interesting part of which is the steering system. Instead of connecting the steering wheel directly to the front wheels, the steering wheel in the Gazelle controls only the tilt of the vehicle, leaving the front wheels alone to point themselves in the direction the vehicle is headed in. This is a similar principle to that of a leaning motorcycle, and James has videos on his site which show the potential stability of such a system.

TVA will be entering a vehicle in the Automotive X Prize using this innovative platform which features four wheels. The Gazelle platform could accept an electric or hybrid drivetrain, it will be powered by a conventional four-stroke engine displacing 350ccs from a modern ATV which should be capable of delivering 100 miles per gallon. We look forward to seeing how the Gazelle fares under testing.


[Source: TVA via Gizmag]

click to enlarge

Based on an Audi R8 chassis and using a few currently-available components (like the air conditioner from an Audi A3), the new Electric RaceAbout (ERA) from Helsinki Polytechnic Stadia is getting ready to take part in the Progressive Automotive X Prize. The ERA is a lightweight (1,250 kg/2,750 lbs target weight) AWD electric vehicle that is expected to have a range of over 300 km (186 miles) and a top speed of over 200 kmh (124 mph). The goal is to make this vehicle reach that all-important 100+ mpge level with li-ion battery packs that will weigh somewhere between 350 and 570 kg (that's between 770 and 1,250 pounds. As a comparison, this is much heavier than the Chevy Volt's 350-400 pound packs). The carbon fiber body is moved by four electric in-wheel motors.

The ERA will be coming sometime next summer. The Institute of Design, Lahti Polytechnic and the Helsinki Polytechnic Stadia are working together on this vehicle. No estimated price is available for the Electric RaceAbout, but the newly unveiled website says it will be "Affordable (in sport vehicle range)." That would be nice, wouldn't it?


[Source: Electric RaceAbout, thanks to Janne M. for the tip!]

Buoyed by the response to the Tata Nano (i.e., the world's cheapest car), Tata Motors Limited is ready to make the move to green. The company announced today that it will compete in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize by entering two vehicles in the race. Well, Tata has signed a letter of intent to compete, which is as far as any of the 70+ teams have gotten.

In a statement put out by the X Prize foundation (pasted after the jump), Tata says they intend "to enter a pure e-drive micro car into the Alternative Class and Dominant Electric Hybrid vehicle into the Mainstream Class." We'll have to wait for more information on these vehicles, as that is literally all we have right now. Whether Tata wins or not, if they even come close, whatever lessons they learn while designing and building the entrant vehicles should be applicable to later generations of the Nano and other Tata vehicles. Considering Tata's ambitious roll-out plans, this is excellent news.

If the Automotive X Prize has caught your attention and you'd like to do more than read about it, good news: the X Prize Foundation is hiring. As Cristin Lindsay, the senior director of the Progressive Automotive X Prize, told AutoblogGreen, these are four key positions and I'm thinking there's probably at least one of our readers who'd make a good Team Development and Relations director, a Sponsorship Activation and Relations director, a Education Programs director or an Executive Assistant. The hires are part of a doubling of the Auto X Prize team in the coming months, a move that certainly implies things are going well in the search for the 100 mpge, mass market car. One requirement that's the same among all of these jobs is that they are located in Santa Monica, California. I don't think you'll get moved to the head of the pack if you tell them you read AutoblogGreen, but it couldn't hurt.

Following up on the post the other day about Popular Mechanics' attempt to rank the top ten Automotive X Prize teams, reader and tipster Manu wrote, "My bet for #1 is Poulsen Hybrid. It's not on the list and it's never been mentioned on ABG" (he also has his own take on the Poulsen Hybrid here). True enough, we have been remiss in covering this particular and we figured it was time to change that. I mean, what if this team happens to win and we weren't there from the beginning? Shameful. Of course, there are 60+ teams in the competition, and there are many we haven't covered. We should, but that's a post for another day.

Actually, we already missed the beginning. Poulsen hybrid plan started (I think, based on the website) last year, and the general idea is to take an existing ICE car and convert it to a plug-in electric hybrid with mileage in the 100 mpge range. The system adds two Poulsen Hybrid electric motors that use rare earth permanent magnets and are rated at 5kW or 7hp onto the outside of your car and then adds a 72V 120Ah Deep Cycle Lead Acid battery pack (with six batteries inside) and an onboard charger to the vehicle. As Manu writes, the benefits to this system include technology that is here today (June 2008 is the expected debut) and that Alpha-Core is not a new company, so funding issues shouldn't hold the Poulsen system back. The device costs $3,300, with another $600 for professional installation. Poulsen Hybrid, Inc. is a company based in Shelton, Connecticut and is connected to Alpha-Core, a division of Bridgeport Magnetics, Inc. So, whaddya think?

[Source: Poulsen, h/t to Manu]

The X-Prize foundation was established help spur developments in a variety of areas including space travel, medicine and genomics. We've had plenty of coverage here of the Automotive X-Prize where the target is to develop a production viable car that can achieve the equivalent of 100mpg. The foundation is now establishing what it calls the Energy and Environment Prize suite that includes the Automotive Prize. The suite will include a number of prize competitions that go beyond just transportation to include clean energy sources. A Biofuels X-Prize has already been created to inspire breakthroughs in next generation sustainable liquid fuels. The biofuels prize competition will officially launch later this year with a prize of at least $10 million. Other categories that will be attacked in the next couple of years include solar power, water, sustainable housing and carbon capture. In total the energy and environment prizes are will give away up to $100 million.

[Sources: X-Prize Foundation, BusinessWeek]

New York's mayor Bloomberg standing by the Hybrid X.

We're a long way from determining the winner - if there ever is one - in the Progressive Automotive X Prize. I mean, the race only got started (officially) at this year's New York Auto Show. Still, there are 64 teams that have signed a "letter of intent" to participate in the contest and Popular Mechanics thought it was time to rank the top ten teams, the ones that PM thinks have the best chance to win.

So, who does PM name as the ten best teams? Well, the Philly high school team is on the list (their Hybrid X is pictured above), as are Aptera and Loremo and Tesla Motors and six other teams that will be very familiar to regular AutoblogGreen readers. For now, these nine teams are all solid choices. Wait, nine? Yeah, I'm not convinced that PM is right to add Hybrid Technologies to the Top Ten. Hybrid Technologies is having troubles selling the vehicles they have now (even with reduced prices). PM says that Hybrid Technologies "has already made the 100-mile-per-charge dream a reality" and has "real-world experience in development, marketing and manufacturing." Well, sure, but that didn't make the PT Cruiser taxi a success. Check out PM's list for yourself.


See more images after the jump.

Aspiring Automotive X-Prize competitor Motive Industries has released new images of their car. The original images were design sketches and the new shots are computer generated images. No word yet on when a prototype will actually be running, but Motive does have some interesting ideas for their plug-in hybrid. From the schematics on the Motive site, it appears they are planning a front wheel drive 2+2 with an electric motor driving those front wheels. A rear mounted engine operates as a range extender for the battery mounted under the floor of the car. Motive is working on an automated battery exchange system. If the car is equipped with a range extender it's not clear why a battery exchange system is needed, although developing such a system is probably a good long-term move toward the development of a pure battery EV. Check out more images at the Motive site.

[Source: Motive Industries]

We're really high on the Automotive X Prize, and it was an easy choice as the number one upcoming green event. The Auto X Prize will be worth ten million, and is sponsored by Progressive Casualty Insurance. We've covered everything we know about the X Prize on these pages, and we've even got an entire category regarding the event, which ought to make it pretty easy to follow from here on out. Anyone got a favorite already?

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res renderings of the the Velozzi car

The fact that the Velozzi car is all the way at number nineteen does not mean it isn't an exciting design. In fact, far from it, as the vehicle looks amazing! Velozzi is an R&D group that's focusing on developing alternative fuel vehicles that is planning to compete for the Automotive X-Prize. Problem is, with dual AC motors, lithium ion batteries and a Weismann F1 gearbox, we'd expect a production Velozzi to be rather expensive. We've also never seen anything other than a rendering of a vehicle, so this could be a long way off.


Move on to Number 18.

We had a heap of posts on the Progressive Automotive X Prize (that still doesn't quite roll off the tongue) following the big announcement from New York last week. In the flurry of posts, it may have been easy for someone who doesn't check AutoblogGreen with an F5-trigger finger fanaticism might have missed some of the big news. Therefore, after the jump, you'll find a list of all the posts we did about the Auto X Prize from New York. The video above features the highlights of the press conference, and all the pictures we took can be found sprinkled throughout the post. If you do have that itchy F5-finger, then check out the video, since it's new. After the jump you'll also a lot of links to videos and press releases from the X Prize Foundation itself.