San Francisco Competes to Host an Automotive X Prize Race

Hi Folks,
Thanks for your efforts to improve our urban environment. Less vehicles and improved transit helps a lot. Where personal transportation is necessary; its harmful effects needs be diminished. Also, improved power plants for mass transit, including rail, can reduce fuel consumption by 3/4ths and emissions by 4/5ths. These engines and their innovators are represented in the following information. Of special interest to you would be Nelson TYWA Power Corporation. Call and ask his plans for powering transit. Explore the benefits.
I am a member of BATN, saw your article and thought you would appreciate information about this competition. You are also invited to join our fan club as an honorary member. This is an update on some of what we have been doing.
During the month of May 2009 this letter was sent to 128 principals of schools in the San Francisco Unified School District, the SFUSD Parent Advisory Council, and San Francisco PTA advising them of the educational programs free and made possible by Fuel Our Future Now, Discovery Education, the X Foundation and the Progressive Automotive X Prize competition. Beginning in September in New York; the competition will take place in ten cities through the end of next summer. Our hope is that one of the final races will take place in San Franciscotowards the end of next school year. It’s the end of this school year now; a perfect time to plan for the next. We are making sure administrators know about this competition and the educational opportunities that come with it.
We are also notifying news agents. Perhaps you would like to do a transportation news series on the development of this competition, the teams, the competition to be a host city, and the 10 races. Be a witness to history in the making.
-Greg Goble-
P.S. Six teams registered remain confidential. I’ve tried to find more about them. Maybe you will have better luck. Let me know if you do.
P.S.S. Peter Diamondis states the host cities will be announced sometime shortly after July.
S. F. Automotive X Prize Fan Club:
Advisory Letter to Schools and Parent Associations
To: The Second District of the California State
San Francisco Parents Teachers Association
[email protected]
555 Franklin St. RM 203
San Francisco, CA 94102
241-6048
 
Hi,                                                                                      5/30/09
I have been following the development of the Progressive Automotive X Prize competition, and its $10 million in prizes, with great interest for over a year. These are 136 roadworthy cars, 111 teams from 25 U.S. states and 11 countries, racing in 10 cities over the next year. They all get 100 mpg or better! These are not just concept vehicles. They are vehicles that pass the simulated U.S. safety testing program. Go to www.progressiveautoxprize.org to learn more.
It is fitting that Mayor Newsom showed early support and entered the competition to host one of the ten races that are planned. Go to www.progressiveautoxprize.org/about/supporters
"I am certain that the Automotive X Prize will do even more to inspire a new generation of fuel-efficient cars and further advance the concept of sustainable transportation… please know that I intend for San Francisco to participate in the RFP process and compete to win one of the Host City positions." end quote. -Mayor Gavin Newsom, City of San Francisco-
I was excited but not surprised to have come across this interview on Tree Hugger Radio, from 3-5-09, with Peter Diamondis, founder of the X Foundation.
By Jacob Gordon, Nashville Tennessee
www.treehugger.com/files/2009/03/th-radio-peter-diamandis-1
Tree Hugger: In 2008, at the New York Auto Show, the Automotive X Prize was officially announced. Can you tell us what the competition is about and what’s at stake?
Diamandis: What’s at stake is the future of the cars that we drive. The basic message behind the Progressive Automotive X Prize is that you can have it all: you can have a car that’s beautiful, safe, affordable, fast, and goes over a hundred miles per gallon or its energy equivalent. We’ve been driving the same old cars for a hundred years and technology has changed tremendously.
What we’ve done is put together a ten million dollar competition to attract entrepreneurs, designers, and engineers to bring a new generation of cars to the table. Not just one car, but we’re hoping we’ll see forty, fifty, sixty cars that give people a choice and say, "Listen, if you can have a car that meets all your needs, why wouldn’t you want to drive a car that gets over a hundred miles per gallon?"
Tree Hugger: Can you give us a teaser of the kinds of teams and the cars that have entered up till now?
Diamandis: Sure. Maybe I’ll go into a little more detail on the rules and then talk about the classes of cars that will be competing. We’re going to be announcing six U.S. cities, likely to include New York and San Francisco, Detroit for obvious reasons, and Cleveland (because that’s where our title sponsor, Progressive, is located), and two other cities. We’ve had over 120 teams from 20 countries around the world sign letters of intent to compete and bring their cars forward.
continued at…  www.treehugger.com/files/2009/03/th-radio-peter-diamandis-1
I was fairly certain that San Francisco wouldn’t rank number eleven out of ten cities chosen as a place to race and prove the performance of these 100 mpg vehicles. It seems like one of the races is coming here.
My daughter is twelve years old and has learned a lot about this from Fuel Our Future Now, partnered with the X Foundation and funded by a $3.5 million grant to follow the Automotive X Prize races in the classroom. Go online to view their free educational programs and downloadable teaching materials. In further development of their site, Fuel Our Future Now will include in-depth programs for Host City schools. Can tell me who will be working with them in San Francisco, as I plan to get more involved. This is all food for thought.www.fuelourfuturenow.com
Thank you for your time, I hope you are as happy about all of this as I am. If you could assist me I would be grateful. I’m a member of the San Francisco Automotive X Prize Fan Club, our goal is to get the word out and work towards ensuring that these teams enjoy the best of San Francisco. As we begin our membership drive we are informing people in San Francisco schools and parent associations. Please include this information in your newsletter.
If you have any questions about the fan club and your school or for information regarding forming a Fuel Our Future Now planning group for teachers and administrators, call or email me.
Best regards,
Greg B. Goble
Our Yahoo Group: [email protected]/group/sanfranciscoautomotivexprizefanclub
Email us: [email protected]
Call or email me (415) 724- 4772 [email protected]
REGISTERED TEAMS
http://www.progressiveautoxprize.org/files/downloads/auto/press_kit/Complete_List_of_Registered_Teams.pdf
Attached is a complete list of Registered Teams in the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE, broken down by class. For more information, or to request high resolution images or video, please visit www.progressiveautoxprize.org or email [email protected].
Total # of Registered Teams: 111 (6 remain confidential)
Total # of Vehicles: 136
Mainstream Class Entries: 80
Alternative Class Entries: 56
Total U.S.States Represented: 25 (88 U.S.teams; 107 U.S.vehicles)
U.S. States Represented: AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, NM, NY, NV, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV
Total Countries Represented: 11 (23 international teams; 29 international vehicles)
Countries Represented: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Thailand, UK, USA
Total Fuel Sources: 14
Full electric / battery 32
Hybrid (gas or diesel) / electric 36
Hybrid multi-fuel / electric 11
Hybrid CNG / electric 1
Hybrid Hydrogen / electric 3
Hybrid compressed air/electric/gas 4
Hybrid solar / electric 3
Hybrid human / gas / electric 1
Gasoline 23
Diesel 13
Urea 2
CNG 2
Other (Water, Vegetable oil, TBD) 5
*Please be aware that the types of technologies/fuel sources noted above
are subject to change up to the point of Data Submission Judging.
Registered Teams in the Mainstream Class:
Mainstream Class vehicles must carry four or more passengers, have four or more wheels, and offer a 200 mile range.
Team Name Fuel Source City/State Country
7K Hamsters CNG Roswell, NMUSA
Adiabatic Gas, optional electric Frewsburg, NYUSA
Alternative Fuel Sciences ZeroFuel ammonia on demand Ridgefield, CTUSA
American HyPower Hybrid/Hydrogen Centennial, CO USA
BDCOTSRUS Diesel /Electric Chuluota, FLUSA
Belloso Motor Company Gasoline Salisbury, MDUSA
BITW Technologies Bio Diesel Palmyra, INUSA
Boulder Electric Vehicle Electric drive Boulder, COUSA
Brilliant-EV Bio-diesel / Electric Hybrid Fairfield, IA USA
Cloud Electric Racing Electricity/Batteries Woodinville, WAUSA
Combined Technology Solutions Gasoline/ethanol/electric Ellicott City, MDUSA
Cornell 100+MPG Team Diesel/Electric Ithaca, NYUSA
D’Antheus Motors Hybrid - Electric - Gas (backup) Apopka, FLUSA
Daheco Engines Flexible: Gasoline/Ethanol/Diesel/Bio-diesel Valdese, NCUSA
Delta Motorsport BatteryElectric Northants UK
Eco-Taxi Vegetable oil based biofuel Truckee, CAUSA
Eddison * 2—Mass Management Gasoline or natural gas Charlottesville, VAUSA
Eltra Technology, Inc. Hybrid electric modified gasoline electric Las Vegas, NVUSA
EnerMotion Gasoline, Diesel, Bio Diesel, or CNG Caledon, ON CAN
Enertia Motors Electricity / Biodiesel Wake Forrest, NCUSAtered Teams Overview
Engineous Power Gasoline Brainerd, MNUSA
Enginer Gasoline + Electric Troy, MIUSA
ENVI Electric (batteries) Portland, ORUSA
EVIN Electric BatteryStore (Lithium-Ion) Hawthorn Woods, ILUSA
Finishing Dutch (Prautotype) Gasoline or E85 ArnhemNL
Gomecsys Gasoline Naarden NL
Goodwin-Young LINCVOLT Biodiesel/ gasoline/ hydroxy gas Los Angeles, CAUSA
GroupXCaliber Bio-diesel (can also run on E85 or gasoline) Redlands, CAUSA
Herf Duo Gasoline Teltow, BR GER
Illuminati Motor Works Gasoline Series Hybrid Virden, ILUSA
Integrated Innovations Corp Gasoline Rutland, VTUSA
Jordan Engineering 110V/220V AC electricity and/or gasoline Houston, TXUSA
Kinetix Motors Diesel Santa Ana, CAUSA
LibertyMotors Gasoline Botkins, OHUSA
Lightning Hybrids BioDiesel Loveland, CO USA
Maxi-Eco Team Ethanol E85 or Gasoline Guarulhos, SP BRA
MDI-ZPM Compressed air New Paltz, NY USA
Millmac Gasoline and Ethanol or a combination Coral Springs, FLUSA
MIT VDS Vision XP Plug-in series hybrid running on CNG Cambridge, MA USA
Motive Industries Inc. Electric Calgary, ABCAN
Nelson TYWA Power Corp. Gasoline, Propane, Natural gas, Diesel, Ethanol Princeton, NC USA
NgEK Gasoline / E85 / Ethanol Cincinnati, OHUSA
NorthWest Energy Research Associates Diesel Arlington, WAUSA
Parr Piston Engine Company Biodiesel (Multifuel) Soquel, CAUSA
Pegasus X Electricity and gasoline Ann Arbor, MIUSA
Physics Lab of Lake Havasu, AZ Electric, diesel, steam/waste heat, solar PV, hydraulic Lake Havasu City, AZUSA
Pinwheel GT Compressed air / electric Atlanta, GAUSA
PMC Biodiesel, LNG, CNG, Hydrogen Los Angeles, CAUSA
Poulsen Hybrid Battery/ Gasoline Shelton, CTUSA
Revolucion Motors Electric, Diesel, Compressed Natural Gas Lawrence, KSUSA
Ricker Truck 20% Biodiesel Turner, MEUSA
San Fernando Hybrid Alliance Petrol, hydrogen, electric, solar, air Van Nuys, CAUSA
Slipstream Diesel Granger, IN USA
Synergy Innovations Electric MINI Fully Electric Guildford, SurreyUK
Team FourSight Diesel (biodiesel) and Electricity Morgantown, WV USA
Team Global-E Compressed Natural Gas Mandeville, LAUSA
Team GreenWorks E85/Grid Electricity Itu, Sao Paulo BRA
Team HydroPhi Battery/Generator/Hydrogen Toronto, ONCAN
Team ULV-3 Bio-Diesel/Ethanol/Electric Chanhassen, MNUSA
Tesla Motors Electric San Carlos, CAUSA
The Little Engine That CanTeamDieselHamLake, MN USA
USAElectric Cars Gasoline Courtland, NYUSA
Utopia Water USA
Velozzi Plug-in multi fuel Beverly Hills, CAUSA
Veperformance Battery electric La Plaine, QU CAN
West Philly Hybrid X Team Gasoline/Biobutanol and electric Philadelphia, PAUSA
WIKISPEED Gasoline Denver, CO USA
Registered Teams in the Alternative Class:
Alternative Class vehicles must carry two or more passengers, have no constraints on the number of wheels, and allow for a 100 mile range.
Team Name Fuel Source City/State Country
Aero-Siordia Hyper X Racing Biofuel Electric Paso Robles, CA USA
Alterna Diesel GTL, Hybrid Electric Vonore, TNUSA
AMP Electric Blue Ash, OHUSA
Aptera Motors Plug-In Electric Vista, CAUSA
Avion Car Company TBD Bellingham, WAUSA
Electric Truck Diesel-electric hybrid Greenwich, CTUSA
ENVERA Gasoline Electric Hybrid Mill Valley, CAUSA
Falcon Future Methane Fountain Hills, AZUSA
FVT Racing Electric & Gasoline Maple Ridge, BCCAN
Gaia Transport Electricity and gasoline Marietta, GAUSA
GotPower All electric Martinez, CAUSA
Innovative Environmental Energy Concepts E85/Natural Gas/Solar/Electric/Plug-in Coral Gables, FLUSA
Ino8 Electric & petrol Jan Juc, VIC AUS
Kinetic VehiclesDieselCaveJunction, ORUSA
Loremo Diesel Mari GER
Millennial Powers Motors Corporation Electric Scottsdale, AZUSA
OptaMotive Electric Stittsville, ONUSA
Persu Mobility Inc. Electric/Gasoline hybrid Los Angeles, CAUSA
RaceAbout Association Grid Electricity HelsinkiFIN
Red Light Racing Diesel or Biodiesel Lexington Park, MDUSA
SABAMotors Electric San Jose, CAUSA
Spira Gasoline Banglamung, Chonburi THA
SSI Racing Electric San Diego, CAUSA
T3 Motion All-electric (w/optional Gas Assist) Costa Mesa, CAUSA
Tango BatteryElectric Spokane, WAUSA
Tata Motors Limited Electric Conventry UK
TEAM EVI Electric Mooresville, NCUSA
Team EVX Electric Dallas, TXUSA
Team Myers Motors Electric Tallmadge, OHUSA
Team Tejas BatteryElectric Vehicle El Paso, TXUSA
Team Urbe Electric/Bioethanol Winnipeg, MACAN
Tri-Hybrid Stealth Electric, Gas, Human power Erin, TNUSA
TTW Italia CNG and Electricity Torino, TO ITL
TW4XP Electricity Rosenthal, Hessen GER
V-Mobile Rechargeable Batteries Vancouver, BCCAN
WesternWashingtonUniversityGasoline, Electricity, Biomethane/CNG Bellingham, WAUSA
X-Tracer Team SwitzerlandElectricity Uster SUI
XLR8SUN Battery/Photovoltaic Orlando, FLUSA
ZAP PEV Santa Rosa, CAUSA