REAL CARS FOR REAL PEOPLE
The goal of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE is to inspire a new generation of
viable, safe and super fuel-efficient vehicles. The $10 million dollar Progressive Automotive X PRIZE purse will be awarded to the teams that win a rigorous cross-country stage race with clean, production-capable vehicles that exceed 100 MPG or energy equivalent fuel economy (MPGe).
Aspects of the Competition:
1. Vehicle Design: Ambitious teams from around the world work to design and build production-capable, super fuel-efficient, clean vehicles that people want to buy. Vehicles must be proven to meet rigorous standards, including:
- High fuel economy (100 MPGe) with low emissions (200 g/mi CO2e wells-to-wheels greenhouse gas emissions and tailpipe emissions legal in all 50 US states)
- Production-capable and designed to reach the market in volumes of at least 10,000 units per year
- Safe and affordable
- Minimum capacity, performance, and features
2. Vehicle Qualification: A thorough qualification process will assess safety, cost, features and business plans to ensure only production-capable, real cars compete
3. Vehicle Testing: Teams compete in two dramatic races that test vehicle efficiency, performance and durability under real-world conditions:
- Technology and fuel neutral
- City, mountain, distance, and speed segments
- Vehicles with best overall time in the race that meet the minimum requirements will split purse (3:1 ratio between Mainstream and Alternative classes)
- Mainstream class = Vehicles that meet current consumer expectations for size and capability
- Alternative class = Outlet for innovative ideas that push forward today's concept of "what a car is"
For more detail, see our Competition Guidelines Overview or complete draft Competition Guidelines at www.progressiveautoxprize.org.
WHY AN AUTOMOTIVE X PRIZE?
- There are limited mainstream consumer choices for clean, super-efficient vehicles that meet market needs for price, size, capability, image, safety and performance.
- Technical innovation has been "spent" on increased vehicle power, acceleration, and weight, rather than on increased fuel economy.
- Mobility and prosperity go hand in hand. We must bring affordable, efficient vehicles to the global market to ensure a stable, healthy and prosperous world.
- Oil consumption is unsustainable. It endangers our health and the economic, political and social stability of the world. We need to reduce our reliance on oil, a non-renewable natural resource.
- Automotive emissions significantly contribute to global warming and climate change.
The Progressive Automotive X PRIZE will achieve a breakthrough by focusing on tangible results – the creation of practical, clean and super fuel-efficient vehicles that people want to buy.
INDEPENDENCE AND NEUTRALITY
The Progressive Automotive X PRIZE is an independent, international, non-partisan, and technology-neutral competition. The not-for-profit structure of the X PRIZE Foundation contributes to our independence, which is crucial to create unbiased competitions, free from influences that block change.
While the automotive industry is enormous, regulated, and impacted by many economic and political interests, the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE focuses solely on increasing fuel economy and technological diversity while reducing harmful emissions.
Technology and fuel neutrality are cornerstones of a fair Progressive Automotive X PRIZE competition. We cannot predict from where the most effective innovations will arise, or which innovations may be right for any particular geographic market. Rather, we will establish a neutral and equitable field in which all solutions can be judged on their own merits.
STRUCTURE AND SUPPORT
The Progressive Automotive X PRIZE is a project of the X PRIZE Foundation, which creates and manages prizes that drive innovators to solve the world’s greatest challenges.
With the international success of the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE in 2004, the X PRIZE Foundation is now recognized as the world’s leader for prizes that bring about radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. The Automotive X PRIZE is being designed with the generous help of world-class experts, advisors and organizations that represent a broad and diverse group of interests that share our concerns and goals. For more detail, see our advisors, supporters, and blog at www.progressiveautoxprize.org.