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.Automotive X Prize is hiring, team size to double
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.Who else thinks the Poulsen hybrid is the sleeper team to win the X Prize?
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]
New $100 million X-Prizes created to spur development of clean energy
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]
For now, these are the Top Ten Automotive X entrants
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.Gallery: Automotive X-Prize entrants
See more images after the jump.
Continue reading For now, these are the Top Ten Automotive X entrants
New images of the X-Prize entry from Motive Industries
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]
The top five upcoming green events, number one: Automotive X Prize
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?
Top 20 green cars we wish we could buy today, Number 19: Velozzi
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.
Gallery: Team Velozzi - Automotive X-Prize
Move on to Number 18.
New York 2008: everything on the Progressive Automotive X Prize in one place
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.
Gallery: New York 2008: VentureOne full-scale model
Continue reading New York 2008: everything on the Progressive Automotive X Prize in one place
New York 2008: Best rumor heard at the show = Aptera in Star Trek
Out of the 60+ teams signed up to potentially participate in the Progressive Automotive X Prize, there were four teams that brought cars to the big announcement at the New York Auto Show last week. One team we would have liked to see was Aptera with their Type I three-wheeler. But the vehicle was a no-show. But, and here's the crazy rumor part, a little bird told me that the reason for the absence was that the car was involved in some way with the new Star Trek movie. The look certainly fits and Boing Boing has a photo of the car on the set.
I've contacted Aptera to see if they had any official statement on this rumor, but the response has been silence. Perhaps our readers have a bit more information. Anyone?
Gallery: Aptera
New York 2008: Jory Squibb returns with an X-Prize entry
click to enter gallery
We met Jory Squibb way back in late 2006 over at the Santa Monica Alt Car Expo. How can you miss a guy driving a tiny, 100+mpg bubble car called the Moonbeam? Jory, from Maine, is now back on the ABG radar with his presence at the New York Auto Show. He didn't have a car with him this time, but he did have the idea for a competition vehicle for the Automotive X Prize with him. His new tadpole-style vehicle (that is, two wheels in front, one in back) is called Dirigo, which is the Maine state motto and means "I lead" of "I direct." The Dirigo's powertrain is based on a 950cc Daihatsu turbodiesel engine that sits in the back and drives the front two wheels. Jory told us the Moonbeam taught him that you really need at least half of your wheels providing power (the Moonbeam was also tadpole style, but only driven by the single rear wheel). Jory's team for the Dirigo, which is now a year old, is made up of about four regular members, some of whom are boat builders and are taking the Dirigo in a wooden direction. Learn more by listening to Jory yourself:
UPDATE: Jory sent in a few thoughts on the Auto X Prize at the New York Auto Show. We've pasted his essay after the jump.
Gallery: New York 2008: X Prize's Dirigo
Continue reading New York 2008: Jory Squibb returns with an X-Prize entry
New York 2008: Motive Industries' muscular X Prize entry vehicle needs a name
Of the 60+ teams that have signed a letter of intent to participate in the Progressive Automotive X Prize, about 15 were on hand at the New York Auto Show. With only four cars on stage, it's easy to calculate that some teams arrived sans vehicle. The group from Motive Industries had just a little folded flyer to show what they've been working on for their entry vehicle. The basic idea for the as-yet-unnamed Motive vehicle is an electric car with an on-board ICE for range extension. The real challenge for Motive will be convincing everyone that "filling up" via quick, robot-aided battery exchanges are the way to go. Four-passenger and full size with biomaterials in the body panels and elsewhere, the vehicle is just now moving off of the design pages. Motive's Darren McKeage and Nathan Armstrong were in New York to give the public a first glimpse of this new car. You can view the flyer in the gallery below and listen to the duo by clicking play.
Gallery: Motive Industries X Prize vehicle
New York 2008: Actually, it's not called the Air Car - Q&A with MDI's Guy Negre
The Automotive X Prize announcer used it. We've been using if forever. And, until recently, MDI and Zero Pollution Motors were still calling their vehicles the Air Car. Now, though, to avoid confusion as much as possible, the preferred term is "Compressed Air Vehicle" (don't look now, but the ZPM website still says Air Car). At the New York Auto Show this week, we finally had a chance to sit down with Guy Negre, the creator of the CAV, and his partner Shiva Vencat (Vencat also provided translation for most of Negre's answers, as I don't speak French) for a talk on what happens next in the compressed air vehicle world.
The CAV team was in New York as part of the Automotive X Prize announcement, and I'm going to have to say that MDI/ZPM seems to be one of the stronger potential entrants into the race. While the design of the vehicle in New York won't appeal to everyone, I think the renderings for the MiniCat (is that what it's called?) could result in a solid X Prize entry. Plus, considering that deals with Tata have already been signed and the air car (whoops) technology has been tested for quite some time, the vehicle won't be bowing out of the race early, I don't think. To hear what Vencat and Negre have to say, listen to the interview yourself.
Gallery: New York 2008: MDI Air Car, X-Prize competitor
New York 2008: Venture Vehicle's Howard Levine on the future of the VentureOne
click to enlarge
When we saw the distinctive shape of the VentureOne under wraps before the start of the Progressive Automotive X Prize announcement, we were pretty psyched. While the appearance of this vehicle on stage does revive our hope that we'll be able to drive one of these high-mpg hybrids one day, the bad news is that this is just a full-scale model. While it looks good, it's not going to get anyone anywhere. Yet.
Venture Vehicles' founder and CEO, Howard Levine, was happy to be back on the AutoblogGreen radar and gave us the rundown on where his company goes from here and how the VentureOne - which is a codename for the vehicle, not the final moniker - will move into production. He explained that the lack of media attention hasn't meant they haven't been working, just that they have been focusing on the vehicle, not on building hype. One of the big decisions the company has made is to offer only a hybrid version at launch, the pure electric option will have to wait until battery prices come down. Want more info? Listen to Levine yourself by clicking play.
Gallery: New York 2008: VentureOne full-scale model
Gallery: VentureOne & Carver three-wheelers
New York 2008: West Philly's Hybrid Attack makes other high schools look lame
click to enlarge
If the person being interviewed in the picture above looks a little bit young, well, that's because he is. He's a student at the West Philadelphia High School Academy for Automotive and Mechanical Engineering, which is fielding the youngest team of entrants in the Progressive Automotive X Prize.
I had a chance to speak with the teacher in charge of the program, Simon Hauger, who talked about the three (or four, depending on how you count) green vehicles the team has worked on over the past nine years. From an early converted Jeep(s) to the Hybrid Attack you see in the photo gallery, the team knows a few things about greening up a ride. The team took a K1 Attack and modified it to biofueled hybrid that won the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's Tour de Sol twice. Can high school students win the Auto X Prize? They certainly have the passion, as Hauger describes. For the X Prize, the team is working on another vehicle, this one a plug-in diesel hybrid. The team says the car will exceed the 100 mpge requirement "without sacrificing style, safety or affordability." That's the dream, right?
Gallery: New York 2008: West Philly's Hybrid Attack
New York 2008: Progressive Insurance CEO on why he's spending $10m on the Auto X Prize
In the general hub-bub before the Automotive X-Prize kick-off event yesterday, we cornered Progressive Insurance's President and CEO Glenn Renwick for a few brief moments to get his thoughts on the prize. I mean, it's his company that is putting up the ten million dollars in prize money, so you can bet he's thought long and hard about paying someone that much for a freakin' car. While insurers are not usually known for being happy about seeing money go out the door, Renwick said he hopes the company does indeed fork over the money at the end of the race. Renwick said (rightly, IMHO) that he considers the sponsorship to be simply another way of advertising, and as such is coming out of the company's general advertising budget. You might now see fewer Progressive ads on TV, but you'll be seeing the name much more here on ABG. Fair trade? That's not for me to decide. Look at it from another angle: if we don't figure out a way to move to highly-efficient personal vehicles (and higher gas prices continue climbing as a reflection of dwindling supplies), what would Progressive have to insure? This might be the best $10m they ever spend. Give Renwick a listen using the flash widget below.
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