How do you harness the ingenuity of brilliant minds around the planet to build cars that can simultaneously save people money, greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and eliminate our civilization’s addiction to oil as an energy source? You might try to get the major automobile manufacturers involved. But for some reason it seems to take them a really long time to deliver groundbreaking innovation. So instead, you create a multimillion dollar prize for the person or team that can do it. You set rigorous standards for entering the competition and you also set mammoth goals that the winner (or winners) must achieve to earn the cash.
Welcome to the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE, a competition that’s already underway to create the cars of the future. 13 teams from around the globe made the first cut in the Mainstream Class, which requires each team to build a four-dour prototype that can achieve 200 miles per gallon or its energy equivalent (for cars that run on, say, battery-powered electricity instead of gasoline) and submit it along with a business plan of how the car could be mass manufactured at an affordable price. 19 teams qualified for the Alternative Class, which requires vehicles to hold at least two passengers and achieve 100 miles per gallon or its energy equivalent.
Vehicles are currently being evaluated at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan for energy efficiency, performance, and safety. After a rigorous series of stages, the winners will be announced this September.
Imagine living in a world where cars of this super magnitude of fuel-efficiency were attractive, widely available, affordable and functional with enough legroom for you, your family, and your dog. That would be awesome. It might not be too far away.
