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Automotive X-Prize: 31 Teams at Starting Gate
Aug 2, 2007 (From the CalCars-News archive)
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The race to transform the automotive industry is happening on many levels. Now the Automotive X-Prize has announced the names of 31 initial teams that have signed "letters of intent to compete" to build 100+MPG equivalent cars. They're from five countries, and many more are expected. Many of the competitors incorporate variants on PHEV or all-electric soutions, as well as combinations with lightweight materials. (We last wrote some comments and perspective on the Prize in April at http://www.calcars.org/­calcars-news/­738.html.)

Read the X-Prize announcement at http://auto.xprize.org/­news/­8_1_07.html. There you can find a team list; below is the list enhanced by MSNBC science editor Alan Boyle at Cosmiclog http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/­archive/­2007/­08/­01/­300979.aspx; at a report/interview at that URL you can also read more about the hoped-for schedule, sponsors, and comments from X Prize Executive Director Donald Foley on prospects that large automakers will join in. And you can go to either URL to find the original live links to the teams' websites.

  • Aptera Motors, California. Plug-in electric.
  • Commuter Cars Corp., Washington state. Plug-in electric.
  • Cornell University, New York. Hybrid.
  • DEHyds, Washington state. Danzer-cycle internal combustion / hydraulic hybrid.
  • Delta Motorsport, Britain. Lightweight fuel-cell / electric hybrid.
  • Desert Fuel, Arizona. Biodiesel / electric hybrid, with steam and solar.
  • Disruptech, California.
  • Dragonfly Technology, Britain.
  • Fuel Vapor Technologies, British Columbia, Canada. Gasoline vapor fuel.
  • GreenIt!, Oregon. Plug-in electric.
  • Herf Duo, Berlin, Germany.
  • HyKinesis, California. Hybrid.
  • Kinetic Vehicles, Oregon. Lightweight cyclecar kits.
  • Kuttner Doran Inventions, Virginia. Diesel-electric hybrid (see comments).
  • Loremo AG, Munich, Germany. Diesel-powered lightweight.
  • Maine Automotive X, Maine. Gasoline-powered lightweight.
  • MDI and Zero Pollution Motors, New York. Electric / compressed air.
  • Michigan Vision, Michigan.
  • MotoTron Corp., Wisconsin. Hybrid.
  • Phoenix Motorcars, California. Plug-in electric.
  • Prometheus Systems, Arizona. Solar-electric.
  • Porteon Electric Vehicles, Oregon. Electric.
  • Psycho-Active, Georgia. Internal combustion with drive-train innovations.
  • Roane Inventions, Texas. Electric-road-rail hybrid.
  • Society for Sustainable Mobility, California. Hybrid.
  • Spirit One, Alberta, Canada.
  • Tesla Motors, California. Plug-in electric.
  • Valentin Technologies, Wisconsin. Internal combustion engine with hydrostatic power train.
  • Velozzi, California. Plug-in electric.
  • X Tracer, Winterthur, Switzerland.
  • ZAP Motors, California. Electric or gasoline-powered lightweight.

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