Final Stages of Auto X Prize

Hopefully you are all getting your news elsewhere by now, but just in case I thought I'd point out that we're in the final stages of the AXP now! Go get some news: Autoblog Green, MSNBC, or the Progressive Automotive X Prize site itself. Be sure to check out the Team Standings. For your edification, here is a list of the teams that remain in contention:

Mainstream Class (Two vehicles, one team)
· Edison2, Very Light Car #97 (Charlottesville, VA), Internal Combustion Engine
· Edison2, Very Light Car #98 (Charlottesville, VA), Internal Combustion Engine

Alternative Class - Tandem (Two vehicles, one team)
· X-Tracer, E-Tracer #72 (Switzerland), Battery Electric
· X-Tracer, E-Tracer #79 (Switzerland), Battery Electric

Alternative Class - Side-by-Side (Five vehicles, five teams)
· Aptera, Aptera 2e (San Diego, CA), Battery Electric
· Li-ion Motors, Wave II (North Carolina), Battery Electric
· RaceAbout Association, RaceAbout (Finland), Battery Electric
· TW4XP, TW4XP (Germany), Battery Electric
· ZAP, Alias (Santa Rosa, CA), Battery Electric

Obviously with only one team in each of Mainstream and Alternative Tandem, it's not so much a race against competitors as a contest of "can we meet the requirements of the AXP itself". As it turns out, building a high efficiency car in about 2 years, one that can meet standards set by the Consumer Reports, is a task that few teams could even complete! And the teams that remain are by no means assured of winning: they still have a battery of tests to go before being declared winners. I talked a lot here about the balance being struck by the AXP on supporting "garage innovation" versus holding teams to rigorous standards engineering and business wise, and it seems clear in these final days that the balance was placed too far over on requirements. But given the huge field they had (111 teams!), I can't blame the XPF for making it a little harder. I hope someone wins in each class. It'd be really embarrassing to have turfed out so many teams only to fail to award the prize money, that'd sure make bad press!

Anyway, best of luck to those teams that remain, keep light on the pedal and your eyes on the road!