Each of the Qualified Teams in the Progressive Insurance Automotive
X PRIZE competition has a unique story to tell about their technology,
how they came together and the struggles that they face as they work to
bring their vehicle or technology to market. This is the third
feature in our on-going series about each of the competition's
Qualified Teams.
The idea for
BDCOTSRUS’ vehicle was conceived over a series of lunches beginning in the fall
of 2007. Engineers, Bob McNeill
and Doug Hungerford worked together as a team at various companies since
2005. During their lunch breaks,
they would discuss plans for creating an affordable, fun-to-drive, energy
efficient car. What began as
lunchtime small talk became a real challenge when Bob heard about the
Automotive X PRIZE.
“On March
20, 2008, I was reading the news and
saw an article about the Automotive X PRIZE,” says Bob. “Knowing what we did, based upon the
research that we had been working on, we discussed forming a team and entering
the competition. Over the course
of a week or so, we decided "Why not?” We filed our paperwork with the X PRIZE
folks and shortly thereafter, we became one of the early confirmed competitors.”
Previous to
their joining the competition, Bob and Doug undertook months of research to
determine what drive trains, motors
and batteries would work to achieve their goals. They concluded that a diesel electric vehicle with a small
battery pack could do what they wanted.
More importantly, they realized that all of the hardware that they
needed to make their vehicle was already commercially available.
Says Bob, “Everything that we are doing has been
feasible for no less than 15 years.
The technologies have only gotten smaller and more efficient with each
passing year. Our vehicle is
modeled after a 1930's diesel electric train, although significantly scaled
down.”
While Bob and Doug lead the BDCOTSRUS, the
team consists of many more volunteer engineers, consultants and friends who
share their passion about the contest.
These teammates also share the belief that their goal is obtainable and
should be possible through existing technology.
One of these teammates is Bruce Chesson, who
is Manager of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Alternative Fuel Program. He is charged with overseeing a fleet
of approximately 1,684 vehicles, of which 70% operate on alternative fuel sources.
Bruce has received numerous awards for his work in the field of alternative
fuels including the 2008 National Biodiesel Pioneer award, 2008 NASA Blue
Marble Environmental Award and the 2008 Department of Energy Environmental
award. He also received the White House Closing the Circle Award for changing the
Kennedy Space Center fleet to alternative fuels.
Like many
teams competing in the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE, the BDCOTSRUS team is
self-funded. Early on, they
established a non-profit corporation in order to make contributing more
enticing to potential donors. The
team has been fortunate to supplement their personal investment with sponsors
who have stepped up to provide funding that covered the hardware and major
vehicle components. They still are
looking for support to cover the remaining small parts to complete their
vehicle, as well as funding for the incidentals involved with the competition
itself (travel, hotel stay, vehicle transport, etc.).
An
additional team struggle is that of time.
BDCOTSRUS team members balance full-time employment with their involvement
in the project. While a number of
other Progressive Automotive X PRIZE teams face this same challenge, BDCOTSRUS
has the unique and unenviable claim of “longest distance between team
captains.” For the past 18 months,
Bob has been working in Florida, while his co-team lead, Doug has been 10,000
miles away in Singapore working on installing a new ride for Universal Studios
Singapore, which is scheduled to open later this year.
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