I have been covering some of the companies and cars that have signed a letter of intent to compete in the Auto X Prize with a winning prize of $10 million.
The Progressive Automotive X PRIZE is now officially taking registration for the companies that want to compete. The registration period began on August 1, 2008 and closes on January 1, 2009.
With the success that many of the companies have already had, I’m sure most of them will register their vehicles. It will be interesting to see which companies that have been in stealth mode come out and enters their vehicles.
Motive Industries is based out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada and is leading the charge with the design, engineering and prototyping of transportation products.
The Motive Switch is a battery exchange hybrid electric vehicle (BEHEV).
Motive Industries is a design, engineering and prototyping firm located in Calgary, Alberta Canada, led by Nathan Armstrong. Armstrong has spent 10 years in the transportation industry. He is joined by Darren McKeage, a vehicle designer, in the overall design of their entry. McKeage is completing his Masters in Automotive Design at Coventry University in England. They are working on the creation of a four seater 2×2 coupe hatchback electric drive vehicle, designed to have some mild off-roading capabilities. The team is partnering with a number of schools and universities in Canada, and is using both US and Canadian teams for construction.
The Motive Switch is a 2 + 2 sporty vehicle that’s getting a lot of attention with it’s design. It will have an onboard generator that’s supposed to recharge the battery that powers the vehicle. How the gasoline generator and battery pack work together will be interesting. They’re trying to find a solution to the battery running out of juice and leaving someone stranded for a couple of hours while the battery recharges.
With a bright group of engineers working on this project, it will be interesting to see how the vehicle develops.
UPDATE DECEMBER 8, 2008 VENTURE VEHICLES HAS CHANGED THEIR NAME TO PERSU MOBILITY
Venture Vehicles based out of Los Angeles, California has entered the Auto X PRIZE competition with their revolutionary 3-wheel, fully enclosed , tilting vehicle. The unique 2-passenger vehicle is projected to achieve 100 miles per gallon, accelerate from 0-60 in about 7 seconds, and have a top speed of over 100 mph. With this vehicle, you will “Fly the Road”.
This is one cool vehicle that I believe will do very well in the U.S. I believe it has the style, the technology, and the right price to become very popular with consumers and run the road.
Venture Vehicles, led by Ian Bruce, is creating a three-wheeled hybrid with two tandem seats called the VentureOne. The vehicle will lean into turns, providing increased stability and control. While it is technically a motorcycle, it is fully enclosed, and uses standard wheel and pedal driving controls. Their goal is to receive over 100 MPG while maintaining an acceleration of 0-60mph in less than seven seconds.
The Venture One is very similar to the Carver One with it’s tilting technology developed by Carver Engineering. Venture Vehicles has developed the Venture One to feel like a sportscar, but act like a motorcycle.
Though not a motorcycle, the Venture One tilts into curves just like a motorcycle but is stabilized by the DVC™ technology (Dynamic Vehicle Control) developed by Carver Engineering.
They are planning to come out with a hybrid Venture One, plug-in hybrid Venture One, and an all electric Venture One. The HEV and the PHEV are both expected to get over 100 mpg while the all electric Venture One will have a range of 120 miles per charge. They’ll have an initial price target between $20,000 and $25,000.
The Venture One is planned to roll out in 2010 in California and then other parts of the country while they set up their retail and service infrastructure.
Who says you can’t have a “green” vehicle and still drive a truck or SUV? Phoenix Motorcars believes you should be able to do both with their line of electric trucks and SUV’s!
Phoenix Motorcars is based out of Ontario, CA and is lead by President and CEO, Daniel Elliott. From the Auto X PRIZE competition website:
Phoenix Motorcars was founded in 2001 to provide zero-emission fleet vehicles. They power their vehicles with a lithium titanate battery pack. Recharging is done with a 220V outlet, taking 6 hours for a full charge, or using a special charger, 10 minutes for a 95% quick charge. The estimated range is 130 miles, though they are working on developing a battery pack capable of 250 miles. The current battery packs have a life expectancy of 250,000 miles. Dan Riegert and Dana Muscato founded Phoenix Motorcars in July of 2001.
So, as America thirst for those larger vehicles, Phoenix Motorcars will position themselves to succeed with their electric trucks and SUV’s!
The Phoenix SUT gets 126 MPGe on electricity and with operating vehicles already in place, the Phoenix SUT is ahead of the curve on some of the other competitors in the Auto X PRIZE competition.
The Phoenix SUT and SUV runs off a a lithium titanate battery called the NanoSafeTM developed by Altairnano that is supposed to last up to 12 years.
All electric vehicles will be the most prominent of alternative vehicles in the future. As the technology progresses, more consumers will be getting off of gasoline based vehicles and move to all electric.
Phoenix has already started shipping out their vehicles and you’ll have to get on the waiting list to get your own. Check out more of the Phoenix SUT:
Most of the competitors in the Auto X Prize competition are redesigning current vehicles or putting their technologies in traditional design cars with a sharp, new style. One of the few competitors that has a totally unique design for their vehicle is Aptera Motors. Not only are they trying to change how we drive but also the style of car we’ll drive. I have to applaud them for their design work.
The company was founded in 2003 by Steve Fambro and Chris Anthony. Fambro said he:
Endeavored to design and build a passenger vehicle that was safe, comfortable, and more fuel-efficient than anything ever produced.
And that is exactly what they are doing. The three wheeled Aptera typ-1e is an all electric vehcile that is calculated to get 120 miles per charge. Their plug-in electric hybrid (Aptera typ-1h) is a little more difficult to define how many miles it gets, but you can check out their explanation on their performance page for the vehicle.
The cost for this vehicle is estimated to be $27,000 for the electric version and $30,000 for the plug-in hybrid. This is much lower than some of the other vehicles in the Auto X Prize competition.
Wired and USA Today have already covered many of the aspects of the vehicle.
From the Auto X Prize competition website, the Aptera:
Aptera is working to create a line of three-wheeled, ‘two-seater plus one’ all electric and electric plug-in hybrid vehicles. Technically classified as a motorcycle, Aptera is designing their vehicles to exceed the safety requirements of a regular passenger vehicle, with enough cargo space to hold 15 bags of groceries. The All Electric Aptera has an estimated range of up to 200 miles before the battery is depleted. The plug-in hybrid version can travel for as long as the gas tank remains full, getting anywhere between 130 and 1000MPG, depending on how much electrical energy remains. Aptera was founded by Steve Fambro and Chris Anthony, CEO and COO, respectively. Fambro has extensive background in the biotech industry in product development, from R&D to launch. Anthony was the founder of Epic Boats, LLC, a boat design and building company that gave him an in-depth knowledge of hydrodynamic and aerodynamic theories.
They plan on rolling out production of the Aptera Typ-1 by the end of 2008. The vehicle will only be available in California so they can provide seamless customer service for their clients. They will then market the vehicle in other regions of the US as they are able to set up maintenance centers.
I think the biggest obstacle will be the marketability of the vehicle, but as consumers look for more affordable & clean vehicles to drive, this may fill that perfect niche. Fambro says that there have already been about 3500 people who have already put down a refundable reservation of $500 for their spot in line for the vehicle. I’m sure there will be more interest in the vehicle as it gets closer to production as well.
You can find the latest news and discussion at the Aptera Forum.
Over the last year and a half, Tesla Motors has been making headlines with their Tesla Roadster which turns heads and gets 220 miles per charge. One of the best PR campaigns and coverage for an electric car, Tesla Motors has been featured in Motortrend, Newsweek, Auto Week, Road & Track, AutoBlogGreen, and AutoBlog. Gas 2.0 Managing editor, Clayton Cornell, has written up a couple of great posts about the Tesla Roadster and the has some pics of the car when they were in San Fransisco. Tesla Motors is truly a bright spot in the electric car industry!
Tesla Motors entered their car into the Progressive Auto X Prize with a top prize of $10 million:
Tesla Motors has designed an all electric sports car that can travel up to 220 miles on a single charge, and goes 0-60 in under 4 seconds. The battery packs, which will last over 100,000 miles, can be fully recharged in 3.5 hours. Tesla is also working on a battery recycling program so used batteries can be returned to the company instead of wasted. The company plans to use similar technology to produce their entrant vehicle, which is expected to be a sedan. Tesla Motors is owned and chaired by PayPal creator Elon Musk. Ze’ev Drori is the president and CEO of Tesla Motors. Drori has an extensive executive background in high-tech and automotive entrepreneurship. He is also an avid Formula racecar driver.
The Tesla Roadster is an electric vehicle that is more or less set on a Lotus body. It is powered by a custom microprocessor-controlled lithium-ion battery pack. The Tesla Roadster is a 2-seat, open-top, rear-drive roadster that can get a top speed of 125 mph. Drive for more than 220 miles through the day and then it will take about three and a half hours to fully recharge at night. The cost of powering the vehicle is estimated at US$0.02 per mile!
The Roadster’s efficiency is reported as 133 W·h/km (4.7 mi/kW·h), equivalent to 135 mpg–U.S. If this is the case, Tesla Motors will certainly be one of the front runners for the Progressive Auto X Prize competition.
Tesla’s management team writes on different aspects of the Roadsters features and benefits on their blog. You get a much more intimate feeling for the vehicle and the type of driving revolution it brings to the table.
The first line of cars have gone through production and more are on the line right now.
You can join in on the discussion at the Tesla Motors Club forum for all things related to Tesla.
Check out the Tesla Motor in action (and how quite it is!):
What’s fascinating about their vehicle is that it runs on compressed air! Now, as long as the car stays under 35 mph it will run completely off of the compressed air. When it gets above that speed, it will need to use gas or diesel to power the compressed air. All the same, it will get much better millage than a conventional car. If you’re driving inside a city, you may never even reach the 35 mph threshold, virtually running gas free.
MDI founder and CEO Guy Negre invented the first zero emissions Compressed Air Car prototype in 1997. The new generation Air Car features a secondary bio-fuel energy source and compresses air while driving to achieve a remarkable 96 mph, 106 mpg and up to 850 miles range. The vehicle can hold six people, and includes space for luggage or other cargo. According to the team, the Compressed Air Car runs entirely on compressed air when it is traveling under 35 mph. At higher speeds, the compressed air is heated, and thus expands before it enters the engine, resulting in what the team says is a much longer range. A small amount of fuel, either gasoline or diesel, is needed to heat the air. The air in the tank can be compressed using a regular electric outlet.
MDI / Zero Pollution Motors has entered their vehicle into the Auto X Prize comptetion. The compressed air vehicle was showcased at the Automotive X Prize booth at the 2008 New York Auto Show
From the company website:
Motor Development International (MDI) (www.mdi.lu) is the 15 year-old French-based company headed by Guy Negre, inventor of the Air Car. A former aeronautics and Formula One racecar engineer, Mr. Negre has been working diligently with his son, Cyril, an engineer with Bugatti, and about thirty other engineers to bring the Compressed Air technology to market (CAT). To date, the company holds many patents in over 120 countries for their innovative Air Car s vehicles.
Zero Pollution Motors is the first entity that will manufacture and sell the Air Car in the US. ZPM is run by Shiva Vencat, the exclusive representative for MDI in the United States. Find more information on Motor Development International at www.mdi.lu
It takes about 3 minutes to fill the compressor with air at a service station or you can plug it in at home and be fully recharged in 4 hours at it would cost about $2 in electricity.
Zero Pollution Motors plans to introduce a 6-seat, 4-door family-size version of the compressed air vehicle to the U.S. market. The ZPM model will achieve over 100 MPGe and over 90 mph, have zero to low C02 emissions, offer plenty of space for luggage, meet all safety requirements, and cost no more than an average economy to mid-size vehicle. The first ZPM manufactured compressed air car will roll off the production line in 2010 and will cost around $18,000.
I believe that MDI and Zero Pollution Motors are on the right track and it will be very interesting to see how their vehicle develops over the next couple of years and is introduced into the market.
Here’s a video clip of when MDI / Zero Pollution Motors were featured on the show “Beyond Tomorrow”. Take a look:
Similar to the Ansari X Prize that challenged inventors to come up with an aircraft that could enter space, the X PRIZE Foundation and Progressive jointly announced the company’s Title Sponsorship of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition and its funding of the $10 million prize purse.
Since I’m enthusiastic about cars, I’m going to start following the Automotive X PRIZE competition and their auto blog more closely and comment, discuss, and analyze what’s going on in the competition.
The newly renamed Progressive Automotive X PRIZE is an international competition designed to inspire a new generation of viable, super fuel-efficient vehicles. The independent and technology-neutral competition is open to teams from around the world that can design, build and bring to market 100 MPGe (miles per gallon energy equivalent) vehicles that people want to buy, and that meet market needs for price, size, capability, safety and performance.
It will be fun and interesting to see how everything develops. There have already been more than 60 teams that have signed up to participate in the contest and it will be fun to check out all of the teams and interview their key players.
The reason why I like the X PRIZE competition is because in today’s world it’s corporations and private companies, not government, that drive many big social changes. These companies and organizations involved with the Automotive X PRIZE will be the ones that invent, create, develop, and manufacture fuel efficient or alternative energy vehicles that we will drive in the future.
I have been covering some of the companies and cars that have signed a letter of intent to compete in the Auto X Prize with a winning prize of $10 million.
UPDATE DECEMBER 8, 2008 VENTURE VEHICLES HAS CHANGED THEIR NAME TO 
Who says you can’t have a “green” vehicle and still drive a truck or SUV? 
Most of the competitors in the Auto X Prize competition are redesigning current vehicles or putting their technologies in traditional design cars with a sharp, new style. One of the few competitors that has a totally unique design for their vehicle is 
Over the last year and a half, 
I have started to cover the 
