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Automotive X Prize

Awhile back you probably heard about the $10 million "Ansari X PRIZE" awarded to innovative aircraft designer and builder, Burt Rutan, backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. They successfully launched a reusable manned spacecraft. Now, the X PRIZE Foundation is offering the $10 million "Progressive Automotive X PRIZE", the title because Progressive Casualty Insurance Co. is a major sponsor.

The prize will be awarded to teams who best design production-capable, super fuel-efficient vehicles that consumers will actually buy, not a science project or concept vehicle. The vehicle must meet consumer's demands in terms of price, size, capability, safety, environment and performance. Since alternatives to gasoline and diesel engines are allowed, indeed encouraged, the goal is 100 MPGe (miles per gallon energy equivalent) vehicles.

Two classes of vehicles are in the competition - Mainstream and Alternative. Mainstream vehicles have to carry four or more passengers, four or more wheels, and a 200-mile range. Alternative vehicles carry two or more passengers, no constraints on the number of wheels and a 100-mile range. Two-thirds of the $10 million prize purse will go to the winners of the Mainstream class, and one-third to the Alternative class.

The competition has ten competition stages. Each stage will be in different cities, yet to be announced. This includes two long-distance stage races in the 2009-2010 time period, a Qualifying Race and the Grand Prize Final Race. Race courses will reflect typical driving conditions during numerous stages. Courses will include differing terrain, representative communities and varying weather conditions. To win, vehicles must complete both races with the lowest overall time averaged over all scoring stages while still meeting the requirements for 100 MPGe fuel economy and low emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants.

So far over 60 teams have signed Letters of Intent to compete in the competition. This includes fledging, innovative vehicle builders, universities and venture companies from some nine countries. The entries to date include a hybrid 1959 Lincoln, a Tesla electric sport car and a three-wheeled Ale.

The non-profit, educational X Prize Foundation in sponsoring other multimillion competitions for breakthroughs that benefit humanity by solving some of the world's greatest challenges. This includes the $10 million Archon X PRIZE for Genomics and the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE.