This article [“UltraBattery” Could Put a Hybrid in Every Garage | Autopia from Wired.com] is just one of many that seem to crop up on this topic.
So what’s wrong with this?
People love their cars. They are vital links to our jobs, our community, ourselves. For everything we love about them, cars are chained to the most severe global crises of our time: oil dependence and climate change.
We aim to break this deadlock through the most radical approach to innovation yet – the X PRIZE.
The Automotive X PRIZE will invite teams from around the world to focus on a single goal: design viable, clean and super-efficient cars that people want to buy.
This will be a race for the ages, with major publicity and a big sack of cash waiting for the champion, and perhaps our future hanging in the balance.
[From Automotive X PRIZE]
Read the first sentence. I think people want a new kind of car so much as a less destructive way to propel the ones they have.
I really don’t want to buy a new car to get access to this technology, but I would like to see someone devise a powerplant that can replace the existing ones in modern cars. The car is not something that needs to be perfected: the materials from which they’re made, perhaps, but mostly how they are powered is where the benefits are to be had. Not as cool, perhaps, not as much headline-grabbing or front-page picture potential, but what makes more sense: replacing/upgrading a million motors and powertrains in existing cars or trying to create uptake/demand for replacement cars? I’m happy to drive mine for quite a bit longer, even at the pathetic 20 mpg it gets, before I spend $30,000 or more on a new vehicle. And I expect these X-prize vehicles will be more — much more — than $30K.
I just dropped them a note about this. We’ll see just how unappealing they find the idea.
The reply:
Thank you for your input. We truly appreciate receiving any and all commentary on the Automotive X PRIZE. We are only in the formative stages of the competition, and we have already seen the prospective competing teams take a variety of approaches. In fact, a number of the teams are planning to use a conversion vehicle rather than build a new automobile. Part of the competition involves meeting stringent safety standards, and some teams found that utilizing an existing vehicle better met their needs. While not intentional, your requested goal can likely be met by a number of different AXP competitors. We do agree that recycling is very important and your points are well received.