Aug 29 2008
Improve My Gas Mileage: The 10 Million Dollar Challenge!
Improve my gas mileage! How many times has that thought made it's way through your brain. People world wide have been saying it for nearly 100 years now ever since the beginning of the industrial age
Gas mileage devices have nearly doubled the gas mileage that cars can get over the last 75 years but progress has been painfully slow. Especially during that last couple of decades which have seen virtually no change.
The fix? The Auto X Prize competition has officially launched in March and is sponsored by the Progressive auto insurance company. The goal? The first 100mgp car and you can still get in.
Up for grabs is a Whopping $10 million dollar prize and the first individual or group of individuals who can demonstrate 100mgp in a cross-country race, wins the cash.
Up for the challenge? The competition races begin sometime in 2009 so if you think you can somehow "improve my gas mileage" it's time to quit thinking and get building!
The questions are, do you think you have what it takes? What exactly are the rules to win the cash and what is the goals that need to be accomplished?
To start with, the goals are fairly simple. We need to get off our dependence on foriegn oil. We need cars that are totally efficient and we need them to be environmentally responsible. Bottom line? Improve my gas mileage!
The winning car will demonstrate an easy concept and something that is simple to understand. Something along the line of a car that you and I could actually work on. Is that even possible now days?
The benefits of this car need to be global in definition. So, on those terms, anyone from anywhere can compete in this race. It doesn't matter where you reside, bring your brains!
The resulting cars need to be something people can buy. No concept cars will be accepted so your submission must be something that is ready for production.
There are other rules such as independent and non-partisan contestants, an understanding of the emissions, performance, fuel efficiency, ect.
Don't let those things snag you. If you can build it and race it and it can go to manufacturing then all the shade tree mechanics need to get into this thing.
The implications of such a contest are huge! Not only for the winners of the contest but for the entire world in general.
Think of how life could change for you and how the far reaching effects of such an advancement would benefit other industries changing our world before our eyes.
There is a ton of info on this and cars with the best gas mileage if you know where to start looking. Check it out and who knows! Maybe you will be the one to give us all a gas mileage improvement we have all been waiting for!
