And how much do you think NASA's space shuttle program cost to develop?
The outcome will be very different from a manufacture with an endless supply of R&D money..
Bottom line is, from an engineering point of view, its a great exercise/contest..
Just like the Buggati Veyron, not very practical overall, but is an engineering masterpiece.. and I'm not saying something amazing will come from this contest, but it definitely does not hurt the movement towards more economical automobiles.
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