X Prize Rolls Out $10M Prize for 100MPG Car

By Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides

Yesterday, prize experts at the X Prize Foundation joined with title sponsor Progressive Insurance to announce the long anticipated $10M Automotive X Prize. Competition, saving the planet, sleek lines, 100 mpg and a cross country race -- what more do you need in the latest Foundation prize?

Cars competing in the "mainstream" category must be able to fit four passengers, luggage, have four wheels, air conditioning, play tunes, go from zero to 60 in 12 seconds, hit 100 mph and have a range of 200 miles. "Alternative" class vehicles (such as above) have less design constraints. It's all going according to plan over at X Prize...

The Foundation gave away the $10M Ansari X Prize to Burt Rutan for his private suborbital space flights in 2004, announced the launch of the Archon Genomics prize for rapid low cost sequencing of genomes in 2006, the $30M Google Lunar X Prize in 2007 and now the Progressive Automotive X Prize in 2008.

So what is next for the foundation that is seeking to cause radical breakthroughs for humanity through competition? Well, their five lines of interest are exploration, education, life-science, energy and the environment, and global development. X Prize CEO Dr. Peter H. Diamandis said to look out for that prizes that promote energy production, storage and transmission, deep sea exploration, longevity and cancer, and poverty and the needs of the developing world.

I would just be happy with the 100 mpg car. But hey, why not dream big.