xcel
01-24-2008, 10:45 AM
Director Don Foley talks about recruiting automakers. (http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080123/FREE/748100515/1023/LATESTNEWS)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Aptera1.jpgMike D’Orazio - AutoWeek - Jan. 14, 2008
Aptera is a slam dunk -- It will probably not be a large automaker other then possibly an upcoming PHEV but a small entrepreneurial spirited company that will win the prize and brighten our future. -- Ed.
One hundred miles per gallon could equal $10 million for one team in the Automotive X Prize competition.
The independent competition is open to teams from around the world. The challenge: Design and build a 100-mpg vehicle for competition in 2009 and 2010.
Currently, 50 teams from seven countries have submitted letters of intent.
But the organization wants more competitors, which is why it has a booth at the Detroit auto show.
"We want to bring more automakers into the fold," said Don Foley, executive director for the contest, in an interview with AutoWeek. "We're interested in having them on board."
Foley also added that the group is looking for "real cars" that can be produced in numbers of "at least 10,000 per year."
The effort is being backed by the X-Prize Foundation, which runs competitions to promote breakthroughs in science and technology. The foundation gained notoriety with the 2004 Ansari X Prize competition to build a suborbital spacecraft. The $10 million prize was won by Burt Rutan.
The competition will be divided into two classes: mainstream and alternative.
Mainstream-class vehicles must carry four or more passengers, have four or more wheels and meet conventional expectations for size and capability… http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080123/FREE/748100515/1023/LATESTNEWS
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Aptera1.jpgMike D’Orazio - AutoWeek - Jan. 14, 2008
Aptera is a slam dunk -- It will probably not be a large automaker other then possibly an upcoming PHEV but a small entrepreneurial spirited company that will win the prize and brighten our future. -- Ed.
One hundred miles per gallon could equal $10 million for one team in the Automotive X Prize competition.
The independent competition is open to teams from around the world. The challenge: Design and build a 100-mpg vehicle for competition in 2009 and 2010.
Currently, 50 teams from seven countries have submitted letters of intent.
But the organization wants more competitors, which is why it has a booth at the Detroit auto show.
"We want to bring more automakers into the fold," said Don Foley, executive director for the contest, in an interview with AutoWeek. "We're interested in having them on board."
Foley also added that the group is looking for "real cars" that can be produced in numbers of "at least 10,000 per year."
The effort is being backed by the X-Prize Foundation, which runs competitions to promote breakthroughs in science and technology. The foundation gained notoriety with the 2004 Ansari X Prize competition to build a suborbital spacecraft. The $10 million prize was won by Burt Rutan.
The competition will be divided into two classes: mainstream and alternative.
Mainstream-class vehicles must carry four or more passengers, have four or more wheels and meet conventional expectations for size and capability… http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080123/FREE/748100515/1023/LATESTNEWS