December 2007/January 2008

Racing to a Revolution

By Todd Kaho

A multimillion dollar prize is up for grabs in the race to build a 100 mpg automobile.

 

What if every garage in America had a car that could get 100 miles per gallon? The X Prize Foundation wants to see it happen, and they’re dangling a big green carrot in the form of a multimillion dollar reward. It will go to the first team to create a low-emission, 100 mpg car that’s safe, affordable and ready for mass production.

Jack McCornack, longtime Mother Earth News reader and designer of ultralight DIY sportscars, says outstanding fuel economy already is a reality for do-it-yourselfers. For the competition, McCornack is constructing a sporty two-seat, lightweight roadster designed around a small Kubota industrial turbo diesel engine. Mother will be onboard as an official sponsor of the entry.

“We’re breaking the problem of high mileage into its three components: engine efficiency, rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag,” McCornack says. “We’re not aiming to win this competition. Instead, our goal is to show what can be done with existing technology and a low budget. When we’re done, all the information will be available for anybody who wants to make one for themselves.” (To watch this project evolve, visit www.kineticvehicles.com and sign up for our e-newsletter.)

The objective of the Automotive X Prize (AXP), according to the Foundation, is to “inspire a new generation of viable, super-efficient vehicles that help break our addiction to oil and stem the effects of climate change.” The contest is drawing international interest, with more than 30 teams from the United States, Germany, Switzerland and more already at work.

“The time for incremental change is over,” X Prize Foundation founder and CEO Peter Diamandis says. “We need radical breakthroughs to stem the consumption of fossil fuels. An X Prize can help make that happen.” The competition already has the endorsement of organizations such as the Apollo Alliance, Greenpeace, the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

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