The grandstands are empty and only a few crew members brave the blaring mid-summer sun and humidity to watch as the VLC (Very Light Car) turns one lap after another at Michigan International Speedway.
Finally, its tank drained, the car coasts to a stop, its driver emerging with a smile, and for good reason. The curious looking little vehicle has just leaped another hurdle, coming ever closer to a prize worth $5 million.
It’s down to the wire for the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize, or PIAXP, a competition announced in April 2008 as a way to spur the development of clean, high-mileage vehicles. Funded to the tune of $10 million — which will eventually be divided among three separate categories — the event seems unexpectedly well-timed considering the way the BP Gulf oil spill has raised anew questions about America’s dependence on foreign oil.
“What we’re trying to do here is set the future, set the next level of efficiency for the automobile,” said Steve Wesoloski, one of the senior technical advisors on PIAXP.
On Tuesday, the foundation announced the results of an on-track competition, leaving nine vehicles from seven teams in the running. In the mainstream class, the Edison2 team’s two VLC entries passed muster. In the alternative class it was Switzerland-based X-Tracer’s two E-Tracer battery electric vehicles. And in the alternative class, side-by-side, these vehicles remained: Aptera’s Aptera 2e; Li-ion Motors’ Wave II; Raceabout Association’s Raceabout; the TW4XP out of Germany; and ZAP’s Alias. All of these cars run on an electric battery.
The X-Prize challenge drew an unexpectedly strong response; 115 teams entered 136 separate vehicles. They covered a wide range, from the relatively conventional to the truly exotic. Some entrants decided to bet on the time-tested internal combustion engine, focusing their efforts on other ways to improve efficiency.
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Source: msnbc.com
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