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Originally Posted by dutchmasterflex
This is a good idea.. shows that some people are gonna make a big effort to change the way we commute..
Like the Space X-Prize contest, this will bring new cheaper technology into play with car manufacturers. What this contest really does is inspire engineers.
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I disagree...
The Space-X project did nothing. The real contributions come from military R&D where there is no cost cap and absurd concepts are brought to reality.
This mickey-mouse project will be nothing but a diversion.
The US Military (and others) have been working on alternative power methods for vehicles for decades - in fact all the progress Toyota, Ford, GM and Honda have made has been based on technology declassified and invented for US military uses.
Light weight batteries, hybrid components and combinations etc.
This competition is pure PR.
$25 Million - do you realise how small that aount is in regard to vehicle produciton or even sales?
25 000 000 / 25 000 = 1000 -- $25 milllion is the sales value of 1000 Honda's or Toyota's.
The amount of money you would need to spend to invent and the next "mass produced" fuel effiecient vehicle is far more than the $25 million prize.. so why bother?
If the prize was $1 Billion - then maybe it would be worth the investment
