Automotive X Prize News - April 21st, 2008

Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize Website, that's right, Progressive has a page up dedicated to the Automotive X Prize. In fact it's probably been there since the announcement, but this is the first time I've linked to it. They have several videos and a prominent link to their Fuel Savings Calculator.

The Baltimore Sun has an excellent article up: Two Maryland Residents Reach for Extra Miles, featuring Greg Belloso of Belloso Motors and Lt. Cmdr. Jack Staub, of Red Light Racing. Belloso you know from my interview with him, but the Red Light Racing information is all new. Apparently they plan to retrofit a Honda Insight with the engine from a Lupo 3L. Sounds like a good Alternative Class entry to me.

Miles Electric Vehicles has a new CEO: Kevin Czinger. Miles is an Automotive X Prize letter-of-intent team. The old CEO and Founder, Jeff Boyd, stays on in a COO role, where he will focus on day-to-day operations.

Bicycle Design, a popular blog, has a post on enclosed bikes relating to the Automotive X Prize. He talks about having a pedal-power-supplimented AXP entry, which I do think is feasible - it's about as worth while as solar panels, according to my analysis. Neither gets you more than say 10% of any decent stage's energy requirements, but a 10% boost is well worth considering!

More Tesla Lawsuits, now Tesla is on the receiving end of a case from Magna, a company they hired to help them with their transmission problems. Let's hope Tesla doesn't get distracted.

Autoweek: $10M Automotive X Prize pushes for 100 MPG, with speed, featuring the Fuel Vapor Ale, Tesla, and the Linc Volt. This article will be in print, probably in a longer version.

If you liked the aerocivic from a few months back, you'll like this too: 1989 Geo Metro Gets 95 MPG, Doug Heffron cut the passenger side out and did other aero-mods to increase his fuel efficiency from 58 MPG to 75. Can we call it the aerometro?

Duetsche Bank Loves Shai Agassi's Plan to Bring Us EVs. But no word on if they actually invested anything.

Think EV comes to North America, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, with RockPort Capital Partners, have formed Think North America to bring the small EV to the United States.

Car Makers Could Face 75 MPG Rules by 2030s, EPA Says. This level would be required to meet the greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 50 to 80 percent by 2050. Sounds like there might be a market for 100 MPG vehicles and the technologies which make them go :-)

The (UK) Telegraph did a big story on the GM Volt: General Motors Volt: Plug-in Future.

Determining the Appropriate Design and Configuration of PHEVs, another tradeoff analysis between parallel & series hybrids, and a look at the all-electric range (how long should it be?). Several nice charts. See also MIT Study Predicts Well-to-Wheels Vehicle Emissions for 2030, comparing various fuels and PHEV vehicles against each other on displaced petroleum and GHG emissions. And finally, Andy Frank is getting his day in the sun - watch an interview with him and read a sprawling story about his devotion to the PHEV.

BYD to release e6 electric MPV in two years. 186 mile range, 80% quick charge in 15 minutes, 0-60 in 10 seconds, 99 MPH top speed.