It’s true. Well, the easy part is a total fabrication, but if you can design and build a 100mpg car that people actually want to buy, you could win the $10 million automotive x-prize. It is the automotive version of the x-prize that got (well funded) private citizen groups everywhere scrambling to be the first into space in their own vehicle.

The Anasari Foundation what worked so well as a technology driver for space vehicles could spur innovation for those on terra firma as well. It’s not as easy as it sounds. You can’t just take a racing bike with a lightweight faring, put the most fuel efficient engine you can find on it, and go pick out your yacht. Anyone with half a brain could pull that off.

No, the foundation has much more difficult criteria one must meet before they get to make their banker’s day. There are actually 2 categories, but the one with the most dough requires that your car must carry 4 adults, meet federal safety and emissions standards, and (here’s the tough part) be a car that consumers would actually want to endure an afternoon at the dealership enough to purchase with their own money.

Consumers are a demanding bunch for the most part. They’ll want a car that goes and stops much like any other, although I’ll bet they’ll make a few concessions to reach the century mpg mark. If gas should go much past $5.00 a gallon, you’d probably find enough drivers willing to give up A/C and power windows that you could actually market about anything that got 100mpg.

One more thing – Performance is essential, because the $10 million prize will go to the fastest car that meets the specifications.

Here’s my plan for the 100mpg car:

100mpg Powertrain:

• ½ liter, common rail turbo diesel-electric hybrid.

When running, the tiny, high-pressure rail turbo diesel is always working at its most efficient rpm range. It only charges the batteries. The drive wheels are powered entirely by a high efficiency electric motor.

• Regenerative braking to recapture energy
• Advanced Li-Ion battery pack

100mpg Chassis:

• Carbon fiber monocoque construction – lightweight and strong
• Lightweight is of the essence to reach 100mpg and have good acceleration, so the design goals would be to keep weight as low as possible.
• Target weight – 2,200lbs. wet, less passengers
• Innovative technologies will be used to keep weight low, such as active noise cancelling to minimize interior noise, rather than using heavy sound deadening. No one will buy a vehicle without a sound system anyway, so it can serve two purposes.

Performance Targets:

• 0-60mph – <10 seconds
• An 83 hp motor should be required to be less than 10 seconds to 60mph and equal the Toyota Prius ¼ mile ET and terminal velocity with a 2,200lb weight and a 150lb driver aboard.

I’ll leave it someone else to fill in the details. I’m sure greater minds than mine are hard at work on this project already.

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