As of August 1, 31 teams have entered the Auto X-Prize competition to be the first company to produce a “marketable” 100-mpg vehicle. The prize? How about $10 million (if the X-Prize foundation can come up with some more sponsors). Of the companies already entered, Zap Motors and Tesla Motors are said to be two of the companies with the best shot at the grand prize.
The soon-to-be-released 3-seater bench Zap Obvio 828 designed to run on 100% ethanol or a full-electric version will be available. Current mileage estimates are up to 40-mpg on the highway for the ethanol version.
The Tesla Roadster electric vehicle estimates their range at more than 200 miles before recharging is needed. This puts mileage estimates at about 135 mpg. Certainly their technology is up to snuff but at $100,000 per roadster, the marketability requirement still needs to be addressed.
Speaking of Tesla, it was announced just this week that CEO and co-founder Martin Eberhard was replaced on Monday. Eberhard will stay on as president of technology (possibly to put more effort into the X-Prize competition). Martin Musk, an early investor in Tesla, will become interim CEO.
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