Video: Highlights from Automotive X Prize Shakedown

Apr 30, 2010 6:08 PM

As the race to develop a 100-mpg car progresses, our own autos team is on hand to document the happenings and to measure the performance of the contestants’ cars.

While we’re at it, we had a chance to talk to the teams and the organizers to see how they plan to break the 100-mpg barrier. Click on the video to see the perspectives of Eric Cahill, Director of the Auto X Prize, as well as the teams.

This week, during the shakedown stage, teams have an opportunity to take their cars out on a trial run through the actual series of tests they will have to pass later to continue in the competition. Many of the teams are ad hoc groups who spend their nights and weekends working in garages around the country, scavenging parts where they can and buying only those they can’t find elsewhere. Others are schools, engineering companies, and even one major overseas automaker. Some of their cars are all-electric. Others use small gas or diesel engines, either exclusively or in conjunction with battery power. One car even runs on steam.

This week, 12 teams showed up with 17 cars. Our auto engineers and editors helped test the cars’ acceleration, emergency handling, and braking once they made it through X Prize’s tech inspection. Among the most noteworthy was Aptera, a team from California that is well known because it reportedly has hundreds of pre-orders for its car. Even with an existing business, Aptera faced challenges, as did every team participating. The human story has been as fascinating as the mechanical tales, and we will continue to shares these through ongoing coverage.

The Consumer Reports team takes a break for the weekend, and then returns next week to test the international competitors at Michigan International Speedway.

Follow our Auto X Prize coverage here in the Cars blog, as well as in our special Auto X Prize section and via Twitter @CRcars.