Final Automotive X Prize entries announced

On the one-year anniversary of the official launch of the  Automotive X Prize, the final entries have been revealed. They represent 111 registered teams from 11 countries who have committed to building a vehicle that gets 100 mpg. The final contestants were announced during a press conference at the New York Auto Show. (See the full list here.)

Entries will fall into two categories: 80 Mainstream cars and 56 Alternative vehicles. Mainstream vehicles will have to have four seats, four wheels, and achieve the gasoline equivalent of 100 mpg. Alternative vehicles will have the same mileage target, but only need two seats and can have less than four wheels.

The teams have to have a viable business plan to build 10,000 cars, and the cars have to pass a variety of tests, including some performance and safety tests performed and judged by Consumer Reports engineers.

Then they will compete in two elimination rounds starting this fall, at events around the country. In the first round, later this year, the cars will have to pass all the tests and return 80 mpg. Those that make it through the first round will compete in 2010 in a similar competition where the cars must return 100 mpg. The winning team will receive a $10 million prize.

The final entries will run on a variety of fuels, including gasoline, diesel, natural gas, compressed air, water, vegetable oil, and electricity. Many, but not all, will be hybrids. And two entries will run on urea. One team is from a high school in Philadelphia.

X Prize officials are keeping the identities of six teams confidential. On the official list, an entry from startup green automaker Fisker Automotive is conspicuously absent.

Organizers have also announced a Demonstration Division for major automakers, though no participants have been announced so far. The Chevrolet Volt is slated to get an EPA fuel economy rating of 100 mpg, and General Motors has said it plans to build 10,000 Volts. In the latest announcement, the company said the first full Volt prototypes would be produced June 1st.

For full details on non-confidential entries visit the Automotive X Prize Web site.

--Eric Evarts