Automotive entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin enters X PRIZE

During a recent conference call for the media, automotive entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin announced that his company, Visionary Vehicles, planned to enter the Automotive X PRIZE (AXP). Bricklin joins a list of 31 teams who are competing to create a new generation of viable, super-efficient vehicles, thereby reducing the nation's dependency on oil.

This announcement comes as AXP Executive Director Don Foley and Senior Director Cristin Lindsay make their way to the Frankfurt Auto Show, where another AXP contender, Loremo, will be showcased.

The international competition, in which qualified teams will compete head to head, aims to dramatically increase consumer access to ultra-efficient, clean, affordable and desirable vehicles. The current list of 36 teams includes diverse groups from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland. More than 300 additional teams have inquired about joining and are actively considering entry.

Bricklin is recognized as an entrepreneur, innovator and visionary within the automotive industry. He was the founder and chief executive of Subaru of America, Bricklin Vehicle Corporation, International Automobile Importers, Yugo America and now Visionary Vehicles. He has 40 years of experience in designing, engineering, manufacturing, remanufacturing, importing and marketing automobiles and is known throughout the industry as one of the most original and imaginative automobile executives in history.

"The great thing about the Automotive X PRIZE is that we all win, no matter who wins. Any developments made through the competition will serve to drive the industry forward," Bricklin said during the conference call.

Bricklin then went on to describe the vehicle he planned to enter as a plug-in hybrid with a lithium battery that will run for 40 or 50 miles before a small, 60-horsepower engine would kick in and run at approximately 3,000 rpm to re-charge the battery. The vehicle also will have regenerative braking, enabling drivers to get more than 100 miles to the gallon in what Bricklin says will be a car "the size of a Mercedes S and the width of a Lamborghini, and that will retail for approximately $35,000."

During a question and answer session with reporters, Bricklin promised to have running prototypes of this vehicle on the road in 2008 and "cars coming of the manufacturing line in 2009." Bricklin says he plans to have dealers take delivery of these vehicles in 2010, making them available to the general public in the not-to-distant future.

Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, CEO and chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation, said during the call: "We've had the same basic automobile for the last number of decades and it's time for something new. The idea of being able to have a very fuel efficient, over 100 miles per gallon equivalent, low carbon emission, great looking, sexy and affordable car, is possible. That is — you don't have to choose one over the other."

The independent and technology-neutral AXP competition is open to teams from around the world to prove they can design, build and bring to market 100 MPG or equivalent fuel economy vehicles that people want to buy. Industry experts will scrutinize team plans. Those that qualify will race their vehicles in rigorous cross-country stages that combine speed, distance, urban driving and overall performance. The winners will be the vehicles that exceed 100 MPG equivalent, fall under strict emissions caps and finish in the fastest time.

"We are thrilled with the wide variety of teams and technologies from around the world that have expressed an interest in joining the competition," Diamandis said at the end of the call. "We are confident that the Automotive X PRIZE will motivate and bring visibility to a range of non-traditional solutions from both traditional and non-traditional players. The time for incremental change is over. We need radical breakthroughs to stem the consumption of fossil fuels."

The competition is expected to travel through multiple cities while being broadcast to a global audience in 2009 and 2010, building consumer demand for vehicles in the competition and demonstrating many practical, clean and affordable vehicle options. Cities involved in the competition route have not yet been chosen.

The following 36 teams have signed a letter of intent signaling their intent to apply for the AXP competition:

• Aptera Motors — California, U.S.A.
• AirShip Technologies Group
• Commuter Cars Corp. — Washington, U.S.A.
• Cornell University — New York, U.S.A.
• DEHyds — Washington, U.S.A.
• Delta Motorsport — Northants, U.K.
• Desert Fuel — Arizona, U.S.A.
• Disruptech — California, U.S.A.
• Dragonfly Technology LTD — Northhampton, UK
• Fuel Vapor Technologies — British Columbia, Canada
• GreenIt! — Oregon, U.S.A.
• Greenhouse 2000 Inc.
• Herf Duo — Berlin, Germany
• HyKinesys — California, U.S.A.
• Kinetic Vehicles — Oregon, U.S.A.
• Kuttner Doran Inventions — Virginia, U.S.A.
• Loremo AG — Munich, Germany
• Maine Automotive X — Maine, U.S.A.
• MDI, Inc. & Zero Pollution Motors LLC — New York, U.S.A.
• Michigan Vision — Michigan, U.S.A.
• MotoTron Corporation — Wisconsin, U.S.A.
• Phoenix Motorcars — California, U.S.A.
• Prometheus Systems, LLC — Arizona, U.S.A.
• Porteon Electric Vehicles, Inc. — Oregon, U.S.A.
• Psycho-Active — Georgia, U.S.A.
• Red Light Racing (RLR)
• Roane Inventions — Texas, U.S.A.
• Society for Sustainable Mobility — California, U.S.A.
• Spirit One — Alberta, Canada
• Steam Fluid Drive System
• Tesla Motors — California, U.S.A.
• Valentin Technologies — Wisconsin, U.S.A.
• Velozzi — California, U.S.A.
• Visionary Vehicles, New York, U.S.A.
• X Tracer — Winterthur, Switzerland
• ZAP Motors — California, U.S.A.

For more information about the Automotive X PRIZE, visit the X PRIZE Foundation's Web site.