LA Times 'Try' to Test Drive the X-Prize winning E-Tracer

Susan Carpenter of the LA Times has a look at the E-Tracer, the all-electric X-Prize-winning "cabin motorcycle".

The E-Tracer averages 205.3 miles per gallon equivalent and can reach a top speed of 200 mph. The "less than $100,000" vehicle will go into production in 2011. Its target market is California.

RaceAbout All Wheel Drive Electric Car - Automotive X PRIZE

This side-by-side seat sports car employed an innovative configuration of four separate wheel motors, custom inverters, and a special supervisory controller all designed and constructed by a team of university students from the Metropolitan University of Helsinki, Finland. Using almost 33 kWh of Altairnano lithium titanate batteries optimized for power rather than energy, this densely packaged car weighed 3770 pounds yet demonstrated impressive efficiency.

The students used Audi R8 supercar aluminum suspension and brakes to match the driving performance of this vehicle. Given the mass, overall size, and battery makeup of this car, its results clearly show that traditional OEMs could build a similar car with existing technology that would achieve a similar attractive blend of energy efficiency and high performance.

Team Name: Raceabout Association
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Car name: Electric Raceabout
Class: Alternative Side by Side
No. of wheels: Four
Passengers: Two
Drive type: Battery electric, all-wheel-drive
Power source: 32 kwh lithium-ion batteries
Charging: Fast-charging is available, that will charge the car to 80 percent capacity in 10 minutes on a 250 kw supply.

AC Propulsion, Peraves to Bring X-PRIZE Winner E-Tracer to U.S. Market

AC Propulsion today announced it has signed a Letter of Intent with Peraves AG to bring the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE-winning E-Tracer to market in the United States. Two weeks ago, Peraves’ E-Tracer took top honors in the Alternative Class (Tandem) category at the X Prize awards ceremony. Peraves, whose E-Tracer is powered by AC Propulsion’s electric drive system, becomes the first X PRIZE winner to announce production.

“We are proud to announce that we have recently signed a Letter of Intent to supply the propulsion systems to Peraves and assist in bringing the E-Tracer to market,” said Tom Gage, AC Propulsion CEO. “The E-Tracer is the perfect expression of performance with efficiency. The E-Tracer a niche vehicle, but it sets a benchmark for what can be done with electric propulsion, and that will help inform the larger EV market as it develops. That was the purpose of the Progressive X-Prize and, acting on that, it is our intention to have E-Tracers on the road in 2011.”

Although details of the collaboration are still in discussion, the Letter of Intent between the two companies signifies a positive step forward in bringing this electric vehicle to market. AC Propulsion and Peraves are making this announcement on the eve of AltCar Expo 2010, as this Southern California-based show provides both consumers and the industry with a glimpse of the latest alternative-fuel technology.

“We tried other drive systems, but AC Propulsion’s level of integration and advanced feature set gave us the advantage we needed to win the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE,” said Peraves CEO Roger Riedener. “We've been building petrol-powered versions in Europe for 15 years, but now it's the time for electric, and with this Letter of Intent, California is the place and AC Propulsion is the power.””

AC Propulsion and Peraves plan to bring 100 units to market starting in 2011. The E-Tracer will be assembled at AC Propulsion in San Dimas, California. 21st Century Motoring will serve as Peraves’ North American agency and as a key player in the sales and marketing of the E-Tracer.


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Edison2 - Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE

Boasting a the lowest drag coefficient of any car tested in the GM wind tunnel or at the Chrysler Proving Grounds, this innovative Very Light Car demonstrated over 100 MPGe on the test track under stringent testing conditions using a highly innovative 250cc turbocharged fuel injected single-cylinder engine fueled by E85. It requires only 8 pounds of force to push this vehicle. More like an airplane than a car, the Edison2 uses highly innovative light-weight, low mass hub-mounted suspension for its aerodynamically flared four wheels contributing to its sports car-like handling and braking. Its low total mass of 830 pounds is a tribute of engineering strength and packaging utility.

Team name: Edison2
Location: Virginia
Car name: Very Light Car
Class: Mainstream
No. of wheels: Four
Passengers: Four
Drive type: Internal combustion engine (E85), rear-wheel-drive
Power source: Yamaha 250cc, 27-50 hp.

Li-ion - Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE

This side-by-side two seat urban car was the sleeper of the competition. Built on a lightweight aluminum chassis and carrying 20.7 kWh of perhaps the best available lithium-ion batteries for BEV applications (Dow-Kokam), the vehicle still weighed in at only 2176 pounds. Paired with a permanent magnet electric motor of 38 kW continuous power and a 91.5% efficient battery charger, the Wave II demonstrated outstanding low mechanical and aerodynamic drag resulting in high efficiency.

Team Name: Li-Ion Motors
Location: North Carolina
Vehicle: Wave II
Class: Alternative Side by Side
No. of wheels: Four
Passengers: Two
Drive type: Battery electric, front-wheel-drive
Power source: Lithium-ion batteries

X-Tracer - Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE

This innovative tandem two seat vehicle uses an all-American powertrain composed of a 150 kW electric drive system made by AC Propulsion and a 19.4 kWh lithium polymer battery system from NeuEnergy in San Diego. The Kelvar/carbon fiber monocoque chassis makes this roomy vehicle with such a low weight possible. This clever design has two extra wheels that deploy at low speed to stabilize the vehicle.

Vehicle: E-Tracer
Class: Alternative
No. of wheels: Two
Passengers: Two in-line
Drive type: Battery electric, rear-wheel-drive
Power source: 20 kwh lithium-ion batteries, 90-kw or 130-kw electric motor

Three Teams Share $10 Million X PRIZE

The X PRIZE Foundation, an educational nonprofit prize organization, and Progressive Insurance, the country’s fourth largest auto insurance group, today, at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., awarded $10 million to three teams who successfully completed the rigorous Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE. The winning teams—Edison2 of Lynchburg, Virginia; X-Tracer of Winterthur, Switzerland; and Li-ion Motors Corp. of Mooresville, North Carolina—emerged from an original field of 111 competing teams, representing 136 vehicle entries from around the world. The winning vehicles were showcased to an audience of auto industry, business and government leaders. Each of the winning teams was also presented with a towering bronze trophy designed by Harry Winston, Inc.

The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE was launched in 2008 to inspire a new generation of viable, safe and super fuel-efficient vehicles capable of achieving 100 miles per gallon or the energy equivalent (MPGe). Now, after nearly 30 months of vehicle and business plan development, on-track testing at Michigan International Speedway which included dynamic safety testing by partner Consumer Reports, and laboratory verification at the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Lab, three vehicles emerge as winners:

$5 Million Mainstream Class Winner:

* Edison2 “Very Light Car #98” (Charlottesville, VA)
* Economy: 102.5 MPGe
* Fuel: E85 ethanol
* Boasting the lowest drag coefficient of any car with four wheels tested in the GM wind tunnel and at the Chrysler Proving Grounds, this vehicle demonstrated over 100 MPGe on the test track, and verified in the lab, under stringent testing conditions using a highly innovative small displacement engine. Its low weight of just 830 pounds is a tribute to its use of light weight materials, reduced engine displacement and a host of other weight-saving innovations.

$2.5 Million Alternative Side-by-Side Class Winner:

* Li-ion Motors Corp “Wave II” (Mooresville, NC)
* Economy: 187 MPGe
* Fuel: Battery Electric
* This side-by-side two-seat battery electric car was built on a lightweight aluminum chassis and weighs in at only 2,176 pounds, despite the weight of its powerful lithium ion batteries. The Wave II demonstrated outstanding
* low mechanical and aerodynamic drag that resulted in 187 MPGe in combined on-track and laboratory efficiency testing, a 14.7s zero-to-60 mph acceleration time, and over 100 miles range over a real-world driving cycle.

$2.5 Million Alternative Tandem Class Winner:

* X-Tracer Team Switzerland “E-Tracer #79” (Winterthur, Switzerland)

* Economy: 205.3 MPGe
* Fuel: Battery Electric
* This tandem two-seat vehicle combines the best of motorcycles and automobiles. This clever design has two extra outrigger wheels that deploy at low speed to stabilize the vehicle. At 1436 pounds, the E-Tracer is able to deliver over 100 miles in range, led the competition with over 200 MPGe in combined on-track and laboratory fuel efficiency and achieved a zero-to- 60 mph acceleration time of just 6.6 seconds.

The awards ceremony participants included Representative Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; Progressive Insurance President and CEO Glenn Renwick; X PRIZE Foundation Chairman and CEO Dr. Peter H. Diamandis; Representative Edward Markey, Chairman, House Energy and Environment Committee; Cathy Zoi, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Dr. John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; and Senator Mark R. Warner, U.S. Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Also present at today’s announcement were several of the other vehicles that competed in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE. Specifically, vehicles on display included: Spira4U, of Thailand; Commuter Cars’ Tango of Spokane, WA; amp’d Sky of Blue Ash, OH; Aptera 2e of San Diego, CA; RaceAbout of Finland; TW4XP of Germany; Western Washington University’s Viking 45 of Bellingham, WA; the ZAP Alias of Santa Rosa, CA; The West Philly EVX of Philadelphia, PA; and Illuminati’s Seven of Springfield, IL.

While the prize has now been awarded, the journey continues for the winning teams. They will immediately begin leveraging their winning status, prize money and connections made over the course of the competition to catapult their vehicle into the consumer market. Under a U.S. Department of Energy-funded technical assistance program, qualified Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competitors will also gain funding support for access to key automotive expertise and test facilities. The aim of the program is to assist teams in readying their vehicles and technologies for introduction to the market.

“We’ve seen a shift in the market since we first launched this competition, and a greater awareness by people everywhere to think more seriously about the actions we take, and how they affect our environment,” noted Peter Diamandis, Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation. “Gas mileage ranks as one of our top concerns when purchasing a new vehicle and I believe strongly that the innovations showcased throughout the life of this competition will continue to impact and improve our car buying options for the future.”

“Congratulations to the winners and to all the teams who competed over the course of this competition. Their innovations and hard work are truly inspirational,” said Glenn Renwick. “We’re extremely proud to support a competition that will result in more super fuel-efficient vehicle choices; choices that will make people’s lives better.”


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Automotive X PRIZE Teams Arrive at Michigan International Speedway for Start of On-Track Testing

28 teams, representing 36 super fuel efficient vehicles from across the globe will begin arriving at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) in Brooklyn, MI to officially start on-track performance testing for the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE, a multi-million dollar competition designed to inspire a new generation of viable, production-capable, and super fuel-efficient vehicles that exceed 100 MPGe (miles per gallon or its energy equivalent).

Established automakers, start-ups, universities, inventors, and even a high school are among the diverse groups of teams representing 14 U.S. states and nine countries. These teams are now one step closer to their share of the $10 million prize purse, to be awarded this September to those that survive the rigorous multi-stage competition.

This week’s events at MIS kickoff the first of three on-track performance testing stages—Shakedown, Knockout Qualifying, and Finals—each aimed at evaluating the efficiency, safety, and performance of competition vehicles under real world conditions. At the completion of the Finals Stage on July 30, surviving vehicles move on to Argonne National Laboratory outside of Chicago, IL for three weeks of Validation Testing before the competition winners are announced this September.

The Shakedown Stage, scheduled for April 26-May 7 is a non-scored stage, designed to provide teams a chance to “shake out” their vehicles in advance of the scored Knockout Qualifying Stage in June. Teams will still be judged on their performance, specifically in emissions and efficiency tests, but these scores will not be counted against the overall score that ultimately determines the competition winners. However, only those vehicles that are deemed safe after in-garage inspections and on-track tests will be allowed to progress to the Knockout Qualifying Stage. Though all teams will be afforded opportunities to re-test, they face elimination from the competition if they are unable to pass the prescribed safety evaluations.

While in Michigan, the competition will offer several opportunities for the public and media to see the vehicles and meet the competing teams. Public days are scheduled for June 25 and July 23 as well as an Open House event at MIS to be announced next month. Several media days are also scheduled throughout the competition. The public can also follow the progress of competing teams online at www.progressiveautoxprize.org where interactive updates, photos, and videos from MIS will be available throughout the competition.

Winners will be selected from two classes: Mainstream and Alternative. The following is a complete list of the 28 Qualified Teams, along with the class in which they will compete and their fuel type. Note that some teams are entering vehicles in each class. For more information on these teams, please visit www.progressiveautoxprize.org.

Mainstream Class Teams:
Mainstream Class vehicles must carry four or more passengers, have four or more wheels, and offer a 200-mile range.

American HyPower, Centennial, Colorado (Gasoline, Hydrogen)
APET-X, Hong Kong, China (Electric)
BITW Technologies, Palmyra, Indiana (Biodiesel)
Cornell 100+ MPG Team, Ithaca, New York (Biodiesel)
Edison2, Charlottesville, Virginia (E85)
Enginer, Troy, Michigan (Gasoline + Steam)
Envera, Mill Valley, California (Gasoline)
Global-E, Mandeville, Louisiana (Gasoline & Electric)
Illuminati Motor Works, Virden, Illinois (Electric)
Liberty Motors Group, Botkins, Ohio (Gasoline)
Team FourSight, Morgantown, West Virginia (Biodiesel)
West Philly Hybrid X (EVX), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Gasoline)
WIKISPEED, Seattle, Washington (Gasoline)

Alternative Class Teams:
Alternative Class vehicles must carry two or more passengers and allow for a 100 mile range.

amp, Blue Ash, Ohio (Electric)
Aptera Motors, Vista, California (Electric)
Edison2, Charlottesville, Virginia (E85)
Envera, Mill Valley, California (Gasoline)
FVT Racing, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada (Gasoline)
K-Way MOTUS, Turin, Italy (Gasoline)
OptaMotive, San Jose, California (Electric)
RaceAbout Association, Helsinki, Finland (Electric)
Spira, Banglamung, Chonburi, Thailand (Gasoline)
Tango (Commuter Cars), Spokane, Washington (Electric)
Tata Motors Limited, Coventry, United Kingdom (Electric)
Team EVI, Mooresville, North Carolina (Electric)
Team EVX, Dallas, Texas (Electric)
Team FourSight, Morgantown, West Virginia (Electric)
TW4XP, Rosenthal, Germany (Electric)
West Philly Hybrid X (EVX), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Biodiesel)
Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington (Gasoline)
X-Tracer Team Switzerland, Uster, Switzerland (Electric)
ZAP, Santa Rosa, California (Electric)

On Thursday, April 29, five competition vehicles— including amp (Blue Ash, Ohio), Commuter Cars (Spokane, WA), Edison2 (Lynchburg, Virginia) and ZAP (Santa Rosa, California)— will be showcased on the lawn of the Michigan State Capitol in a celebratory kickoff event hosted by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). MEDC is also serving as host of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE on-track testing this spring and summer at MIS.

Delta Motorsports forced to withdraw from Automotive X PRIZE

Delta Motorsports, the only British/European company that has submitted an entry for the Automotive X PRIZE have been forced to withdraw their entry after their workshop suffered a substantial fire resulting in the destruction of their first E-4 Coupe chassis.

The photo above, the car on the ground and almost complete bar some low voltage wiring, was taken just before the fire. As it was the only chassis in existence the X-prize is now out of the question but all the composite moulds survived in tact as they were not in the building at the time of the fire and CAD design data was triple backed up so they should be able to build another chassis and try again, hopefully with minimal delay.

Delta Motorsports

RaceAbout Association unveils AWD Electric X-Prize car in Helsinki

RaceAbout Association has unveiled its electric RaceAbout (ERA) at the Cable Factory in Helsinki. The Finnish vehicle is a contender for the X-Prize award. The four-wheel-drive electric sportscar is now beaded to the U.S. for this month’s “shakedown stage” of the Progressive Automotive X-Prize competition.

Said to be "paving the way for creating an electric car industry in Finland", the majority of the 60 companies and institutions involved with the project are from that Nordic country. One of the technologies involved are the direct-drive in-board electric motors the ERA has powering each wheel. The design, developed specifically for electric vehicles by Lappeenranta University of Technology and also shared by Valmet's EVA concept, allow builders to forgo the use of a mechanical gearbox. No power or torque figures are provided in the technical data for the car.

Delta Motorsport to enter X Prize with E4 Coupe

Delta Motorsport’s E4 Coupe is a contender for the X-PRIZE, an eco competition that searches for the “greenest” cars in the world.

Delta Motorsport is the only British/European company that has submitted an entry to this contest. The winner gets a $10 million prize fund from US insurance company, Progressive Insurance. To qualify, vehicles must be designed for mass production, be capable of at least 200 miles per charge and comply with certain braking and usability standards. Delta Motorsport hopes that its E4 Coupe, a zero emission four-seater, is up for the task.

Delta Motorsport, based at the Silverstone Circuit Technology Park in Northamptonshire, was founded in 2005 by Simon Dowson and Nick Carpenter, who say their first four-seater road car will be completed in April. They say they will have taken the E-4 Coupe from computer to production in just three months.

Design-judging rounds of the X-Prize competition have already taken place; Delta is now planning to take the E-4 to the Michigan International Speedway, where it will undergo safety inspections and "dynamic evaluations".

Further heats will take place throughout the summer, with entries being eliminated at each stage. The winner will be announced in September, in Washington. Delta says the project was made possible by support from the East Midlands Development Agency, with a £235,000 grant for research and development.

When the firm was invited to a reception at 10 Downing Street as one of 100 firms embracing "clean" technology, Prime Minister Gordon Brown hailed the E-4 Coupe as being "at the forefront" of the UK's transition to a low-carbon economy, and said that Delta's innovation and expertise showed why the UK was "one of the best places in the world for low carbon business".

The car can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in under 5 seconds, and reach a top speed of more than 100 mph. These figures match some of the top performance vehicles.

Simon Downson, one of the company’s co-founders, said that Delta Motorsport is involved with the design of environmentally friendly vehicles because it faces many of the hurdles related to motorsport.

This includes maximum efficiency, light weight, good aerodynamics, etc. Downson divulged that the company collaborated with Oxford University on a lightweight, highly efficient electric motor. In fact, they have completed several road haulage aerodynamic programs to improve fuel efficiency.

It appears that the competition has very high standards, as there have been several upcoming “green” vehicles made by huge automotive firms that failed to meet its requirements. You’d be surprised to learn that the Ford Escape, Renault ZE and Nissan Leaf all didn’t make the cut. None of the teams that participate in the contest are from multi-national companies.

Follow Delta Motorsport’s progress on their blog