Detroit 2008: Seven X-Prize teams to be on hand at Cobo Hall
The Automotive X-Prize organizers are gearing up to officially kick off the competition early this year and people will get their first opportunity to meet some of the competitors next week at the Detroit Auto Show. Seven of the teams that have signed letters of intent to compete will be on hand at the X-Prize booth during the media and industry previews before the show opens to the public. Visionary Vehicles, Velozzi, Valentin Technologies, Titling Vehicles Australia, Alpha Core/Poulson Hybrid, Psycho-Active and Michigan Vision will all be there, as will we, starting Sunday at Cobo Hall. Visionary Vehicles is the latest project from Malcolm Bricklin. AutoblogGreen will be sitting down with Mr. Bricklin to discuss his project so stay tuned for that.[Source: Automotive X-Prize]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Andrew Tanasescu 10:27PM (1/11/2008)
My favorite out of the bunch is Velozzi and I really hope they can make something. Im afraid that they are promising so much that what they are trying to offer is nearly impossible...
Some of the specs that there site lists are: 100 to 200mpg, 0-60 in UNDER 3 SECONDS! Another good one is "200mph"
Cant wait to see what Detriot brings.
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sila332 10:32AM (1/13/2008)
The x-prize is a wonderful way to stimulate change. In the case of the automotive x-prize, however, I fear we may be suffering from a sort of tunnel vision, focussed too much on the technology that drives the wheels rather than what drives the car. The DARPA challenge demonstrated the impressive ability of autonomous vehicles in an uncontrolled environment. What is needed now is a demonstration of what would is the more impressive potential of autonomous vehicles in a controlled setting, interacting only with each other. The potentials of the technologies targeted in the present x-prize would be dramatically increased if ultimate control of the vehicle was in the hands of a computer rather than a human being.
The development of an automated transport system based on computer controlled cars may have a historical parallel. The development and rapid establishment of rail networks in the-mid nineteenth century demonstrates the potentials of a highly effective transport system. That impact was profound, and still largely unappreciated. It seems to me that the present state of personal transportation (in urban areas at least) is so inefficient, and the potentials presented by automated cars so great, that we may see its implementation at a pace similar to that of rail. We move much faster today than we did in the nineteenth century, however, and it may take twenty rather than fifty years for the technology to mature. It would be wonderful if technology drivers such as the axp would help to accelerate that process.
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