Automotive X prize winner goes to U.S. builder

Automotive X prize winner goes to U.S. builder

Its not pretty, but the ultralight Edison2 Very Light Car is one of the winners of the Automotive X Prize, awarded by Progressive Insurance.

The Very Light Car was among three innovative automobiles that shared the $10 million purse the X Prize promised to whoever built a production-ready vehicle capable of getting 100 mpg, or its equivalent. Progressive Automotive X Prize officials announced the winners in Washington, D.C. earlier this week, Sept. 15, 2010; some 30 months after the competition began.

The Edison2 managed to get 102.5 mpg in official testing and did it with a good old-fashioned internal combustion engine! The car weighs just 830 pounds, and it reportedly is the most aerodynamic vehicle ever tested in General Motors wind tunnel.

Edison2 won the mainstream class ” those vehicles with four wheels and four seats ” and $5 million. The remaining $5 million was split among Li-Ion Motors and Peraves X-Tracer, Team Switzerland, both of which built electric vehicles.