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" NEW YORK -- Green racing season has officially begun. After releasing details to PM more than a year ago andunveiling preliminary rules here at the New York Auto Show last March, the X Prize Foundation threw its official coming-out party yesterday for a 100-mpg challenge that could upend the automotive industry. The two-year competition will require startups and major manufacturers alike to build a car that can achieve 100 miles per gallon or its energy equivalent, create a viable manufacturing plan and be a top performer during the competition&amp;#039;s stage races, which will begin here in fall 2009. Sixty-four teams have already thrown their name in the fuel-efficient hat for Progressive Auto Insurance&amp;#039;s $10 million purse, some of which we&amp;#039;ve test driven already and four of which were on hand with models or variants of their entrants: FuelVapor Technologies, MDI/Zero Pollution, West Philly Hybrid X Team and Venture Vehicles--displayed models or variations of their entrants during the announcement. &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;re not talking about concept cars,&amp;quot; said X Prize Chairman Peter Diamandis. &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;re talking about real cars that can be brought to market in the near term, that consumers will want to buy.&amp;quot; Get the inside scoop on new teams after this video intro to the AXP from PopMech TV:  RELATED STORIES * EARLIER: Automotive X Prize Rules Announced  * PLUS: Complete Archive of PM&amp;#039;s Automotive X Prize Coverage   West Philadelphia Hybrid X /// Hybrid Attack The competition&amp;#039;s only high-school entrant so far, made up of a dozen or so students in an after-school program led by teacher Simon Huager, has already proven a knack for engineering alternative-energy vehicles. The group has won the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association&amp;#039;s Tour de Sol three times--most recently with its biodiesel Attack, which it plans to convert to a lithium-ion biodiesel hybrid before developing a sedan version for the AXP. &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;re trying to develop a car that a teacher like me could afford,&amp;quot; Hauger says.  RELATED STORIES \u2022 EARLIER: Automotive X Prize Rules Announced  \u2022 PLUS: Complete Archive of PM&amp;#039;s Automotive X Prize Coverage   FuelVapor Technologies /// al\u00E9 Six middle-age engineers working out of a garage in British Columbia, Canada, have already estimated its three-wheel, two-passenger vehicle can hit 92 mpg on the highway--not to mention hit 0-60 in 5 seconds. The al\u00E9 uses an original fuel-delivery system that runs off vapor (the gang wouldn&amp;#039;t elaborate on details), but FVT plans to engineer a series hybrid version of the vehicle for AXP stage racing. &amp;quot;With this kind of competition, we&amp;#039;re going to have to be well over 100 miles per gallon,&amp;quot; says team member Todd Pratt.  RELATED STORIES \u2022 EARLIER: Automotive X Prize Rules Announced  \u2022 PLUS: Complete Archive of PM&amp;#039;s Automotive X Prize Coverage   MDI /// The Air Car We&amp;#039;ve watched closely as Formula One legend Guy Negre&amp;#039;s French company licensed its unique compressed-air technology (link to first air car story) to Tata Motors, then announced a licensing deal to come Stateside (link to second air car story). But how the tank system actually connects with the motor--for a 1000-mi. range, no less--has been something of a mystery. We got a sneak peek at some engine mockups, but Negre still seemed tight-vested--maybe to fend off other teams. &amp;quot;After we expand this compressed air in the engine,&amp;quot; he told PM, &amp;quot;that&amp;#039;s all--it&amp;#039;s very easy.&amp;quot;  Continued: The Three-Wheel Tilter &amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;gt;  RELATED STORIES \u2022 EARLIER: Automotive X Prize Rules Announced  \u2022 PLUS: Complete Archive of PM&amp;#039;s Automotive X Prize Coverage   Venture Vehicles /// Venture One Unveiling a full-scale model of this gas-electric propulsion vehicle for the first time, the Los Angeles-based company proved that aerodynamics will be key to the AXP--even with a little tilt involved. &amp;quot;Narrow vehicles can be quite unstable, but our vehicle will lean into curves to provide control,&amp;quot; founder Ian Bruce told us. The team plans to test two prototypes for the competition--one completely electric and the other a hybrid.  RELATED STORIES \u2022 EARLIER: Automotive X Prize Rules Announced  \u2022 PLUS: Complete Archive of PM&amp;#039;s Automotive X Prize Coverage   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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