The Next X-Prize: Rethinking the Automobile
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02. 1.06
The X Prize Foundation, the non-governmental, non-profit education organization who organized the contest that kick-started personal space travel, is planning new prizes, including one for automobile technology. X Prize's founder, Peter Diamandis, wants to next bring the efforts of private parties -- motivated by a nice chunk of cash and wide recognition -- to the task of solving some of the world's transportation problems. "Why do we still drive cars that use an internal combustion engine and only get 30 miles per gallon?" Diamandis asks, adding, "I think that we'll see some amazing achievements in this area." Further details on this automotive prize are forthcoming, he added, when the prize is fully formulated. While this method is decidedly wacky and not terribly efficient, we like the outside-the-box thought process and innovation this content could potentially inspire, and the time efficiency that can come as a result of leaving the bureaucrats out of it. Other new projects sponsored by the X Prize Foundation will include work in the fields of genome research, nanotechnology and education. ::X Prize via ::Gizmodo
Am I the only one who sees the irony in this? First, the X-Prize Foundation gives an award for the creation of a "space sports car" that belches an amazing amount of pollution into the atmosphere just to give people a short and quite useless joyride.
Next, they do a 180-degree turn and announce a wishy-washy prize related to reducing transportation pollution.
Dear America: The solution is simple. (a) replace your horribly inefficient personal transportation devices with public transport, (b) stop building suburban wastelands so you can actually walk to the shop/school/movies. (c) learn to share. Everyone on your block doesn't need their own personal lawn mower/weedwhacker/bbq/washing machine/vacuum cleaner.
This might be just what we need to get some new developement. For the most part all of the worlds auto industry has been building vehicles the same way for decades now. Maybe someone can give us a real world 80+ MPG car. (Yes the plug in hybrids and electric cars are good but if everyone had one we'd need to overhaul the electrical grid)
Besides hybrids we see the odd concept from various automakers for high mileage cars but then it's business as usual and these never see the light of day.
If the guidelines were that the participants had to produce a vehicle that can pass the required safety tests, cost under 10,000 USD, and get 500 mpg (US) I would be impressed. Otherwise another amazing concept vehicle will be produced that will not alter our lives in any way.
#1: they are not trying to promote ecofriendliness, they are trying to promote technology. Both of these prizes are for technological solutions to currently unaddressed problems.
#2: agreed
#3: No new impressively fuel-thrifty vehicle will be cost-effective (ie: cost less than US$30K) until manufacturers are making hundreds of thousands of them at once. Toyota made less than 200K Prius last year, it gets twice the average mpg of other US cars, and it costs $20K. This prize is designed to foster cars that look at the problem in a different way; hybrids are still, at core, ICEs.
Hey Peter, ALL you need do is read Electrifying Times! ;o) Peter was in fact "urged" to create this new prize by Jon Stewart on the Daily Show last year... Make hitch-hiking safe again with a national ID program... that will remove half the cars on the highway... I win!
Forget new auto technology....too little to late. Sorry but it's true. Flintstone cars and better shoe technology are 'sorely' needed (farsical pun intended) if we are to slow down the pace at which man is rushing to meet his 'dustiny'......(downer pun lamentably intended).
Peace,
PovSoi
I personally am excited to see this finally getting some attention with the Xprize
The real technology that we need for life on this rock might finally get out.I am talking about suppressed super fuel systems that can give 5 time the mileage and very little pollution by cracking gasoline into natural gas on the vehicle using waste heat energy from rad and exhaust systems. check the following sights if you really want clean air.
www.himacresearch.com
www.get113to138mpg.com
www.fuelvapors.com
if you really care about life here help me find intelligent life with money guts and integrity that actually does care. This technology has been suppressed far to long.
Bruce McBurney
There are simple off the shelf answers out there if only they'd be implemented. Home built hydrogen fuel cells like hydrogen-boost.com have cracked the 100mpg mark beating the high $ gov/industry financed fool cells.
People are critical of USA for wastefullness and while I certainly agree, there are about 80 vehicles available outside USA that get over 40 mpg that aren't sold here.
It's time for people to stop complaining and do something about it. If any changes are to be made it will happen through grass roots movements not government and industry.
Cheers
http://mpgresearch.com
If you look at the recently announced Tesla electric sportscar, it's making up for the lack of cost-effectiveness by packaging itself as a high-performance luxury sports vehicle. When you buy a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche, most of your pricetag pays for the stylish brand name and not merely the physical hardware components.
Likewise, eco-friendly sportscars like Tesla can link ecology with style to produce a high-value brandname.