Automotive X-Prize Contenders Get Narrowed Down

The process of obtaining the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize is currently being attempted by a whole host of teams eager to win the prize.  The previous competition, the Ansari X-Prize, was successful in achieving the goal of a non-governmental organization launching a manned reusable space craft twice in two weeks.

That is all with a final prize of $10,000,000 - a small figure compared to the hundreds of millions (billions, really) spent on developing alternative fuels technologies.

Now the final list of contenders has been announced, with the number being narrowed down to 43 contenders. The teams selected represent 18 states, 10 countries and six different types of propulsion: hydrogen, biodiesel, ethanol, electricity (battery power), compressed natural gas and solar power (whatever that means exactly).

Some of the recognizable brand names in the industry that are left include Tesla, Aptera, ZAP, Tango and even India's Tata Motors. The winners will be announced in September 2010, and the prize will go to a production-viable vehicle that will achieve 100 miles per gallon or energy equivalent (MPGe).

Look at all that is being done even with a relatively small final cash prize. With all the billions the U.S government spends, I think some of that money could be put to good use sponsoring a similar competition for the future of automotive transportation.