LA Times 'Try' to Test Drive the X-Prize winning E-Tracer

Susan Carpenter of the LA Times has a look at the E-Tracer, the all-electric X-Prize-winning "cabin motorcycle".

The E-Tracer averages 205.3 miles per gallon equivalent and can reach a top speed of 200 mph. The "less than $100,000" vehicle will go into production in 2011. Its target market is California.

RaceAbout All Wheel Drive Electric Car - Automotive X PRIZE

This side-by-side seat sports car employed an innovative configuration of four separate wheel motors, custom inverters, and a special supervisory controller all designed and constructed by a team of university students from the Metropolitan University of Helsinki, Finland. Using almost 33 kWh of Altairnano lithium titanate batteries optimized for power rather than energy, this densely packaged car weighed 3770 pounds yet demonstrated impressive efficiency.

The students used Audi R8 supercar aluminum suspension and brakes to match the driving performance of this vehicle. Given the mass, overall size, and battery makeup of this car, its results clearly show that traditional OEMs could build a similar car with existing technology that would achieve a similar attractive blend of energy efficiency and high performance.

Team Name: Raceabout Association
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Car name: Electric Raceabout
Class: Alternative Side by Side
No. of wheels: Four
Passengers: Two
Drive type: Battery electric, all-wheel-drive
Power source: 32 kwh lithium-ion batteries
Charging: Fast-charging is available, that will charge the car to 80 percent capacity in 10 minutes on a 250 kw supply.

AC Propulsion, Peraves to Bring X-PRIZE Winner E-Tracer to U.S. Market

AC Propulsion today announced it has signed a Letter of Intent with Peraves AG to bring the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE-winning E-Tracer to market in the United States. Two weeks ago, Peraves’ E-Tracer took top honors in the Alternative Class (Tandem) category at the X Prize awards ceremony. Peraves, whose E-Tracer is powered by AC Propulsion’s electric drive system, becomes the first X PRIZE winner to announce production.

“We are proud to announce that we have recently signed a Letter of Intent to supply the propulsion systems to Peraves and assist in bringing the E-Tracer to market,” said Tom Gage, AC Propulsion CEO. “The E-Tracer is the perfect expression of performance with efficiency. The E-Tracer a niche vehicle, but it sets a benchmark for what can be done with electric propulsion, and that will help inform the larger EV market as it develops. That was the purpose of the Progressive X-Prize and, acting on that, it is our intention to have E-Tracers on the road in 2011.”

Although details of the collaboration are still in discussion, the Letter of Intent between the two companies signifies a positive step forward in bringing this electric vehicle to market. AC Propulsion and Peraves are making this announcement on the eve of AltCar Expo 2010, as this Southern California-based show provides both consumers and the industry with a glimpse of the latest alternative-fuel technology.

“We tried other drive systems, but AC Propulsion’s level of integration and advanced feature set gave us the advantage we needed to win the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE,” said Peraves CEO Roger Riedener. “We've been building petrol-powered versions in Europe for 15 years, but now it's the time for electric, and with this Letter of Intent, California is the place and AC Propulsion is the power.””

AC Propulsion and Peraves plan to bring 100 units to market starting in 2011. The E-Tracer will be assembled at AC Propulsion in San Dimas, California. 21st Century Motoring will serve as Peraves’ North American agency and as a key player in the sales and marketing of the E-Tracer.


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Edison2 - Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE

Boasting a the lowest drag coefficient of any car tested in the GM wind tunnel or at the Chrysler Proving Grounds, this innovative Very Light Car demonstrated over 100 MPGe on the test track under stringent testing conditions using a highly innovative 250cc turbocharged fuel injected single-cylinder engine fueled by E85. It requires only 8 pounds of force to push this vehicle. More like an airplane than a car, the Edison2 uses highly innovative light-weight, low mass hub-mounted suspension for its aerodynamically flared four wheels contributing to its sports car-like handling and braking. Its low total mass of 830 pounds is a tribute of engineering strength and packaging utility.

Team name: Edison2
Location: Virginia
Car name: Very Light Car
Class: Mainstream
No. of wheels: Four
Passengers: Four
Drive type: Internal combustion engine (E85), rear-wheel-drive
Power source: Yamaha 250cc, 27-50 hp.

Li-ion - Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE

This side-by-side two seat urban car was the sleeper of the competition. Built on a lightweight aluminum chassis and carrying 20.7 kWh of perhaps the best available lithium-ion batteries for BEV applications (Dow-Kokam), the vehicle still weighed in at only 2176 pounds. Paired with a permanent magnet electric motor of 38 kW continuous power and a 91.5% efficient battery charger, the Wave II demonstrated outstanding low mechanical and aerodynamic drag resulting in high efficiency.

Team Name: Li-Ion Motors
Location: North Carolina
Vehicle: Wave II
Class: Alternative Side by Side
No. of wheels: Four
Passengers: Two
Drive type: Battery electric, front-wheel-drive
Power source: Lithium-ion batteries

X-Tracer - Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE

This innovative tandem two seat vehicle uses an all-American powertrain composed of a 150 kW electric drive system made by AC Propulsion and a 19.4 kWh lithium polymer battery system from NeuEnergy in San Diego. The Kelvar/carbon fiber monocoque chassis makes this roomy vehicle with such a low weight possible. This clever design has two extra wheels that deploy at low speed to stabilize the vehicle.

Vehicle: E-Tracer
Class: Alternative
No. of wheels: Two
Passengers: Two in-line
Drive type: Battery electric, rear-wheel-drive
Power source: 20 kwh lithium-ion batteries, 90-kw or 130-kw electric motor

Three Teams Share $10 Million X PRIZE

The X PRIZE Foundation, an educational nonprofit prize organization, and Progressive Insurance, the country’s fourth largest auto insurance group, today, at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., awarded $10 million to three teams who successfully completed the rigorous Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE. The winning teams—Edison2 of Lynchburg, Virginia; X-Tracer of Winterthur, Switzerland; and Li-ion Motors Corp. of Mooresville, North Carolina—emerged from an original field of 111 competing teams, representing 136 vehicle entries from around the world. The winning vehicles were showcased to an audience of auto industry, business and government leaders. Each of the winning teams was also presented with a towering bronze trophy designed by Harry Winston, Inc.

The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE was launched in 2008 to inspire a new generation of viable, safe and super fuel-efficient vehicles capable of achieving 100 miles per gallon or the energy equivalent (MPGe). Now, after nearly 30 months of vehicle and business plan development, on-track testing at Michigan International Speedway which included dynamic safety testing by partner Consumer Reports, and laboratory verification at the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Lab, three vehicles emerge as winners:

$5 Million Mainstream Class Winner:

* Edison2 “Very Light Car #98” (Charlottesville, VA)
* Economy: 102.5 MPGe
* Fuel: E85 ethanol
* Boasting the lowest drag coefficient of any car with four wheels tested in the GM wind tunnel and at the Chrysler Proving Grounds, this vehicle demonstrated over 100 MPGe on the test track, and verified in the lab, under stringent testing conditions using a highly innovative small displacement engine. Its low weight of just 830 pounds is a tribute to its use of light weight materials, reduced engine displacement and a host of other weight-saving innovations.

$2.5 Million Alternative Side-by-Side Class Winner:

* Li-ion Motors Corp “Wave II” (Mooresville, NC)
* Economy: 187 MPGe
* Fuel: Battery Electric
* This side-by-side two-seat battery electric car was built on a lightweight aluminum chassis and weighs in at only 2,176 pounds, despite the weight of its powerful lithium ion batteries. The Wave II demonstrated outstanding
* low mechanical and aerodynamic drag that resulted in 187 MPGe in combined on-track and laboratory efficiency testing, a 14.7s zero-to-60 mph acceleration time, and over 100 miles range over a real-world driving cycle.

$2.5 Million Alternative Tandem Class Winner:

* X-Tracer Team Switzerland “E-Tracer #79” (Winterthur, Switzerland)

* Economy: 205.3 MPGe
* Fuel: Battery Electric
* This tandem two-seat vehicle combines the best of motorcycles and automobiles. This clever design has two extra outrigger wheels that deploy at low speed to stabilize the vehicle. At 1436 pounds, the E-Tracer is able to deliver over 100 miles in range, led the competition with over 200 MPGe in combined on-track and laboratory fuel efficiency and achieved a zero-to- 60 mph acceleration time of just 6.6 seconds.

The awards ceremony participants included Representative Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; Progressive Insurance President and CEO Glenn Renwick; X PRIZE Foundation Chairman and CEO Dr. Peter H. Diamandis; Representative Edward Markey, Chairman, House Energy and Environment Committee; Cathy Zoi, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Dr. John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; and Senator Mark R. Warner, U.S. Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Also present at today’s announcement were several of the other vehicles that competed in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE. Specifically, vehicles on display included: Spira4U, of Thailand; Commuter Cars’ Tango of Spokane, WA; amp’d Sky of Blue Ash, OH; Aptera 2e of San Diego, CA; RaceAbout of Finland; TW4XP of Germany; Western Washington University’s Viking 45 of Bellingham, WA; the ZAP Alias of Santa Rosa, CA; The West Philly EVX of Philadelphia, PA; and Illuminati’s Seven of Springfield, IL.

While the prize has now been awarded, the journey continues for the winning teams. They will immediately begin leveraging their winning status, prize money and connections made over the course of the competition to catapult their vehicle into the consumer market. Under a U.S. Department of Energy-funded technical assistance program, qualified Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competitors will also gain funding support for access to key automotive expertise and test facilities. The aim of the program is to assist teams in readying their vehicles and technologies for introduction to the market.

“We’ve seen a shift in the market since we first launched this competition, and a greater awareness by people everywhere to think more seriously about the actions we take, and how they affect our environment,” noted Peter Diamandis, Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation. “Gas mileage ranks as one of our top concerns when purchasing a new vehicle and I believe strongly that the innovations showcased throughout the life of this competition will continue to impact and improve our car buying options for the future.”

“Congratulations to the winners and to all the teams who competed over the course of this competition. Their innovations and hard work are truly inspirational,” said Glenn Renwick. “We’re extremely proud to support a competition that will result in more super fuel-efficient vehicle choices; choices that will make people’s lives better.”


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