Teams from Virginia, North Carolina and Winterthur, Switzerland, with roots in the world of auto racing have won the first Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize, the $10 million competition aimed at advancing the technology for more fuel-efficient vehicles.
The competition, which began in 2007 with 136 vehicles from 111 teams, required that the vehicles achieve 100 miles per gallon or the energy equivalent. While two of winning vehicles reached that goal with electric power plants, the top winner did it with an internal combustion engine.
It's kind of amazing that the overall winner (the Edison2 "Very Light Car," pictured) is a straight-up internal combustion engine. But will its innovation be a catalyst for a fleet of hyper-efficient cars released to consumers? Only the future can tell.
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