New X-Prize for Fuel Efficient Cars Announced

miowpurr writes "A new X-Prize for ultra fuel efficient cars has been announced. The winning car must 'carry four or more passengers and have climate control, an audio system and 10 cubic feet of cargo space. They also must have four or more wheels, hit 60 miles per hour in less than 12 seconds and have a minimum top speed of 100 miles per hour and a range of 200 miles. Those that qualify will race their vehicles in cross-country races in 2009 and 2010 that will combine speed, distance, urban driving and overall performance.'"

crosscountry urban ?

[Anonymous Coward]

So you test cars designed for an urban environment by sending them into a cross country race ? and people wonder why American auto makers have lost their way, perhaps they could test the space shuttle by seeing how well it performs as a boat

Re:MPG?

[mnmn]

Are those American passengers or Japanese?

That'll make quite a difference.

Missing specification

[OglinTatas]

"...and have a minimum top speed of 100 miles per hour..."

Do they say how high the cliff is allowed to be?

Re:Already there, if you drive it right

[jandrese]

He also has to drive like a total asshole to do it. I appreciate his dedication to gaming the MPG counter on his car, but he's going to kill someone eventually, and if I was in his neighborhood I'm sure he'd drive me crazy when I end up behind him while he's creeping home at 15mph.

Re:Already there, if you drive it right

[Anonymous Coward]

"wreckless driving"? Isn't that what we all want?

Re:environmentally friendly?

[gnick]

There's nothing environmentally friendly about the production and use of ANY vehicle.

I drive my hybrid Vespa 30 miles a day on 1/4 gallon of biofuel that I generate myself from food leavings that I collect from the local landfill. When I get to my destination, I work 14-hour shifts rescuing endangered squirrels, planting trees, sucking huge amounts of ozone into my mighty lungs so that I can re-process it into pine-scented 02, and encouraging others to become more environmentally aware. If I couldn't drive, I be stuck within walking distance of my apartment all day just picking up litter =( .

I defy you to explain why my vehicle is doing net harm to the environment.

Re:Less exciting

[AshtangiMan]

51

Re:More practical than other X prizes

[Z00L00K]

I commute in New Jersey, with probably the highest per-capita rate of incompetent asshole drivers.

A friend of mine was in Tanzania a couple of years ago, and the top causes for mortality then were:

1. Malaria
2. Traffic
3. AIDS

So maybe you are complaining too much? ;-)