LOS ANGELES — The foundation behind the first private manned space flight is turning its attention to the car industry's final frontier: fuel economy.

The California-based X Prize Foundation is offering a $25-million award for the first mass-produced vehicle that offers a quantum jump in fuel-efficiency. It's still working out the final rules, but the foundation plans to offer a prize to any group that sells 10,000 vehicles capable of 250 mpg.

Mark Goodstein, executive director of the foundation's automobile prize, said the rules were still being worked out, especially those about how to measure consumption. He said two assumptions were being made: "One is that the technology exists today to give us an order of magnitude improvement in efficiency, however you measure it. The second is that the prize ought to be defined by the market."

Among previous vehicles that hit the fuel-efficiency target was a 2002 Volkswagen experimental vehicle that reached 264 mpg, thanks to a one-cylinder diesel engine. Goodstein, an Internet entrepreneur, said the foundation was close to signing a sponsor that would provide the prize money. Goodstein said there could be other rewards for the winning team, such as investment from venture capital firms or manufacturing contracts.

What this means to you: Encouraging massively fuel-efficient cars is a better way to spend $25 million than providing "space tourism" for a handful of super-rich space cadets.

Source: www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=109627

Excellent...I think both space tourism and fuel efficiency are worthwhile. I hope the 250 mpg car would translate in tech to improved fuel efficiency for all...it's a tough link, but possible...

That's cool. I remember reading about that back in 2002 when it happened.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/04/vw_abandons_its.html

As I recall it was driven extremely slowly at like idle in top gear. The key point for this prize is the market viability. yes the technology exists to produce "cars" that will get extraordinarily better mileage, but they're not cars people would actually want to buy or drive, and they cannot currently be driven on public roadways in such a way that they would actually get mileage like that anyways. The VW that did that had tons of escort vehicles since it was going so slowly, like 15-20 mph or something crazy slow.

Unfortunately it will cost a little more than $25 mil to design this car, much less put it into production. $25 mil is like dangling a single piece of meat in front of 500 wolves. Not enough to even get started, so not really economically a real incentive.

can I do it? the fuel will cost $50,000 per galon and you might run a risk of loosing your balls due to high radiation.

Unfortunately it will cost a little more than $25 mil to design this car, much less put it into production. $25 mil is like dangling a single piece of meat in front of 500 wolves. Not enough to even get started, so not really economically a real incentive.

I agree. This is not nearly enough incentive. Additionally, 250MPG is an insane leap. I could see 150MPG, but 250???? No way. Not in this decade or the next...

drink300
2003 LS430 Parch/Ecru Custom Lux