AXP at Detroit Auto Show

$10 Million+ Competition to Offer First Glimpse of Contenders and Launch Search for Host Cities

DETROIT, MI, January 10, 2008 — The Automotive X PRIZE, a competition designed to inspire a new generation of viable, super-efficient vehicles, will release a Request for Proposal (RFP) to U.S. cities interested in hosting a stage of the 2009-2010 race competition at this year’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The Automotive X PRIZE will showcase the innovations of its early entrants at their booth during the show’s Press Preview and Industry Days, January 13-18.

The Automotive X PRIZE, which was created to help break the world’s addiction to oil and stem the effects of climate change, is an independent and technology-neutral competition, open to teams from around the world who can design, build and bring to market 100 MPG equivalent vehicles that people want to buy, and that meet market needs for price, size, capability, safety and performance.

To date, more than fifty teams from seven countries have signed Letters of Intent to compete and the Automotive X PRIZE continues to solicit additional teams to enter the competition. The window of opportunity for interested teams to register will remain open for at least the next 60 days. Once the competition launches—in early 2008—those that qualify will embark on a rigorous cross country race that combines speed, distance, urban driving and overall performance in 2009-2010. The winners will need to exceed 100 MPG equivalent fuel economy, fall under strict emissions caps and finish in the fastest time.

“The Automotive X PRIZE has the potential to revolutionize the auto industry. Competitors and U.S. cities have a unique opportunity to help bring about tangible, positive change: lower fuel costs, reduced carbon emissions, and an invigorated market. Our participation in Detroit, and the launch of this RFP process are major milestones in this competition,” noted Don Foley, Executive Director of the Automotive X PRIZE.

The racing segment of the Automotive X PRIZE is expected to travel through ten U.S. cities while being broadcast to a global audience in 2009 and 2010, building consumer demand for vehicles in the competition and demonstrating many practical, clean and affordable vehicle options. This opportunity represents a visual, hands-on forum for Host Cities and individual administrations to drive public behavior toward reducing environmental impact. Details on the Host City RFP will be available at the Automotive X PRIZE booth.

In addition to seeking support from U.S. cities, the Automotive X PRIZE is seeking national, regional and local sponsors to underwrite the stage race competition. “Thousands of bright minds, from all over the world, will gather in Detroit next week. We’re hopeful that new individuals, groups and industry sponsors will see the possibilities within this competition, and answer our call to action,” added Foley.

To date, the Automotive X PRIZE has received support and encouragement from several government agencies that will help the privately funded organization conduct the competition and test vehicle compliance, including the U.S. Department of Energy and Argonne National Laboratory; the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway, Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA); the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ); and the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

In addition, non-governmental organizations supporting the Automotive X PRIZE include the National Wildlife Federation, National Resources Defense Council, Union of Concerned Scientists, the Apollo Alliance, the Consumer Federation of America, Global Green USA, CALSTART and Greenpeace among others.

For more details on the Competition Guidelines or to view a list of the 50-plus teams that have signed a letter of intent to compete, please visit http://auto.xprize.org.

ABOUT NAIAS PARTICIPATION
Six teams that intend to compete in the Automotive X PRIZE competition will be available to speak on their early innovations at the Automotive X PRIZE booth in the Concourse as follows (note: subject to additions and change, please check in advance):

Sunday, January 13th
12:00 – 1:00pm Psycho-Active
1:00 – 2:00pm Tilting Vehicle Australia
2:00 – 3:00pm Michigan Vision
3:00 – 4:00pm Visionary Vehicles
4:00 – 5:00pm AlphaCore/Poulsen Hybrid

Monday, January 14th
11:30 – 12:30pm Visionary Vehicles
2:00 – 3:00pm Physics Lab of Lake Havasu
3:00 – 4:00pm Valentin Technologies
4:00 – 5:00pm Velozzi
(Velozzi also available Tues., Jan 15; 10:00 – 11:00)

ABOUT THE X PRIZE FOUNDATION
The X PRIZE Foundation is an educational nonprofit prize institute whose mission is to create radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. On October 4, 2004, the X PRIZE Foundation
captured world headlines when Mojave Aerospace Ventures, led by legendary aircraft designer Burt Rutan and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, built and flew the world’s first private vehicle to space twice in two weeks to win the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE. The X PRIZE Foundation has since launched the $10 million Archon X PRIZE for Genomics and the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE, and will continue to offer new prizes for breakthroughs in the areas of life improvement, exploration, equity of opportunity and sustainability. The Foundation is widely recognized as the leading model for fostering innovation through competition. For more information, please visit www.xprize.org or email using our contact form.

For more information about the Automotive X PRIZE please visit auto.xprize.org or email using our contact form.