Plenty of books have been written and movies have been made about traveling the world - it's exciting, romantic, and adventurous. There's nothing better than taking a world tour - except perhaps, touring it with a friend.
You can go on a World Tour and learn about the teams from around the globe that are competing in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE, hosted by Progressive's always-happy-to-help insurance clerk, Flo.
Use the drop down menu to navigate through the teams - and the world - as you hit places like Hong Kong and Taiwan to learn about APET-X, take a spin around Italy in the K-Way MOTUS, and wander North America finding competition teams along the way.
Make sure to check out our site for more information on your favorite teams, the prize details, and the competition as a whole.
A key tenet of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE is that the competition must be fair and unbiased. It is for this, among many, reasons that we feel so fortunate to benefit from a partnership between the X PRIZE Foundation and Consumers Union. This partnership was created with the goals of providing non-biased review of competition vehicles and on a shared common interest to ensure that there is well-informed input for policy discussions about safety regulations for advanced vehicle technologies.
Consumers Union is a non-profit testing and reporting organization and the publisher of Consumer Reports and ConsumerReports.org. The deep respect that they have from both business and consumers is well-earned, as they remain independent of any influence from advertising dollars, sponsorships or other financial incentives. Their operations are supported solely by the sale of magazine and website subscriptions and donations. Every vehicle that they review is secretly purchased from a dealer and then driven and rigorously evaluated by the Consumer Reports vehicle testers. This ability to remain independent allows them to supply unimpeded information and to provide a form of private regulation on behalf of the consumer. It also strikes fear in the heart of many an auto manufacturer because a Consumer Reports review can make or break a vehicle.
When you meet David Champion, Senior Director of Consumer Reports Auto Test Division, he hardly seems the intimidating type. What you do catch immediately is that he loves cars and that he takes his work very seriously. Consumer Reports is serving as the Official Active Safety Testing Partner for the competition, and Champion is leading their staff in executing test track events. These events, including 0-60, Avoidance Maneuvering, and 60-0 are performed in accordance with procedures developed by Consumer Reports.
Each of the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE Qualified Teams must pass these road tests in order to move on in the competition. Shakedown provided teams with an opportunity to run through these tests, which are graded on a pass or fail basis. Many teams did very well on some or all of the tests. Though several teams did not successfully accomplish all of the tests during Shakedown, they will not repeat the tests in order to qualify to move on in the competition. A new series of these tests will be run during Knockout, all of which are repeats of the Shakedown tests, plus a few additional tests will be added.
Another advantage to the partnership is that ConsumerReports.org is providing readers with an inside look at the competition. Editorial staff members Jeff Bartlett and Eric Evarts were on the ground during Shakedown talking with teams, shooting photos and video, and reporting on the weeks' activities. They created some compelling content about the track events and the teams including behind-the-scenes stories that capture the highs and lows that such a challenging competition can create. Be sure to check out the ConsumerReports.org Automotive X PRIZE web pages for on-going coverage of the competition.
President Obama’s announcement late last week on fuel
efficiency standards is welcome news, but I’m particularly pleased to see his
focus on creating the infrastructure necessary to realistically put
next-generation vehicles – such as those that plug in or use electricity or
alternative fuels – on consumers’ radars.
It’s never been clearer that consumers want cars with higher
gas mileage. Indeed, it’s amazing how quickly the world has embraced more
fuel-efficient technologies. Ten years ago, I’m sure nobody thought a hybrid
vehicle would be considered mainstream, yet Toyota has sold more than a million
of its award-winning Prius worldwide, with more than 800,000 of those in the
United States, and made a profit to boot.
Next-generation vehicles are at the heart of the $10 million
Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE. Next month, the 22 remaining teams and
their remarkable vehicles will again meet at Michigan International Speedway in
Brooklyn, Mich. to compete in the Knockout Qualifying Stage, the second of
three stages unfolding this summer.The
public will have an opportunity to meet the teams and see their innovative
vehicles in person during the competition’s public days June 25 during the
Knockout Stage and July 23 during the Finals Stage. You’ll also have an opportunity
to view the cars during the Great Lakes
Wine Festival, also taking place at Michigan International Speedway the
weekend of June 26 or online at www.progressiveautoxprize.org,
where interactive updates, photos, and videos from the track will be available
throughout the competition.
We’re at a remarkable moment in time when promising new
automotive technologies can meet growing consumer demand. The Progressive
Insurance Automotive X PRIZE seeks to increase global awareness of more
fuel-efficient, clean vehicle options, enabling their development and
stimulating market demand.
But even the highest demand means nothing if consumers can’t
easily purchase one of these forward-looking vehicles or conveniently refuel
one.
That’s why we’re encouraged by President Obama’s
announcement, and we look forward to the day when alternative fuel and charging
stations are on every corner.
By
Eric Cahill, senior director, Progressive Insurance
Automotive X PRIZE
We officially have the results you've been ever-so-patiently waiting for
- Shakedown.
During Shakedown, the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE vehicles were put to the test with a variety of safety, efficiency, and performance evaluations. Of the 24 participants, 22 (representing 27 vehicles) will return for the pivotal knockout stage.
Mainstream Class Teams: Mainstream Class vehicles must carry four or more passengers, have four or more wheels, and offer a 200-mile range.
Passed: • American HyPower, Centennial, Colorado (Gasoline, Hydrogen) • BITW Technologies, Palmyra, Indiana (Biodiesel) • Edison2, Lynchburg, Virginia (E85) • Liberty Motors Group, Botkins, Ohio (Gasoline) • West Philly Hybrid X (EVX), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Gasoline)
Conditional pass: • Cornell 100+ MPG Team, Ithaca, New York (Biodiesel) • Illuminati Motor Works, Virden, Illinois (Electric)
Eliminated: • APET-X, Hong Kong, China (Electric) • Envera, Mill Valley, California (Gasoline) • Team FourSight, Morgantown, West Virginia (Biodiesel) • WIKISPEED, Seattle, Washington (Gasoline)
Alternative Class Teams: Alternative Class vehicles must carry two or more passengers and allow for a 100-mile range.
Side-by-side seating:
Passed: • amp, Blue Ash, Ohio (Electric) • Aptera Motors, Vista, California (Electric) • Edison2, Lynchburg, Virginia (E85) • OptaMotive, San Jose, California (Electric) • RaceAbout Association, Helsinki, Finland (Electric) • Tata Motors Limited, Coventry, United Kingdom (Electric) • Team EVX, Dallas, Texas (Electric) • West Philly Hybrid X (EVX), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Biodiesel) • ZAP, Santa Rosa, California (Electric)
Conditional pass: • Team EVI, Mooresville, North Carolina (Electric)
Probationary pass: • Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington (Gasoline)
Tandem seating:
Passed: • Edison2, Lynchburg, Virginia (E85) • Spira, Banglamung, Chonburi, Thailand (Gasoline) • Tango (Commuter Cars), Spokane, Washington (Electric) • X-Tracer Team Switzerland, Uster, Switzerland (Electric)
Conditional pass: • FVT Racing, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada (Gasoline)
Deferred for later testing June 16-18, due to Volcano-related travel delays: • K-Way MOTUS, Turin, Italy (Gasoline) • TW4XP, Rosenthal, Germany (Electric)
Eliminated: • Envera, Mill Valley, California (Gasoline) • Team FourSight, Morgantown, West Virginia (Electric) Knockout, starting June 20th, is next for these vehicles - and as Senior Director Eric Cahill put it, “This
was not meant to be easy; if it were, it would have already been done.
We expect to see additional eliminations during the Knockout Stage as we
narrow the field in preparation for the Finals Stage in late July.”
Check out the full press release here and all the info you'd ever need on our website, here.
Have you ever thought that humans can't fly? Have you ever been in a plane?
Have you ever thought about how impossible it would be to get 100mpg or equivalent out of a car?
Our teams know that the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE is so much more than a competition. It is a revolution. A time to change people's minds and make new spaces in their hearts. To re-define perceptions of the commercially viable car.
Every team has a different angle, from tai chi to napkin sketches to Frankenstein monster-mobiles. But they all have the same goal.
The wonderful folks at Progressive have made this video of just a few of the teams' stories.
Join the action, and be a part of something big. Check out our site for all the info.
It's been quite a while since we've updated you on the status of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE in the media. Our wonderful contact Carrie (who you can see having a great time here) has sent a "post-Shakedown press" update, and the numbers are staggering.
Since the start of Shakedown, over 70 stories have hit on the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE - 11 newspaper, 51 web, and 10 TV and radio. What does this mean for us? That over 40 million media impressions have been secured since Shakedown began. It's fantastic to see the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE getting so much media attention - and we hope it will only get bigger as Knockout approaches.
Check out just a few of the great articles that have featured the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE:
