Wednesday, February 18, 2009

X PRIZE Foundation Teams With Consumer Reports

The X PRIZE Foundation is expanding its list of partners for the firm's Progressive Automotive X PRIZE, the nonprofit's effort to inspire next generation fuel-efficient vehicles, saying Wednesday that it has partnered with Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports. According to the foundation, the partnership will focus on vehicle safety testing, advocacy, and education efforts. Consumer Reports will test competition vehicles, which must pass pre-race safety inspections, including braking tests, low speed stability tests, and emergency, double-lane change maneuvers as part of the effort. The X PRIZE Foundation's automotive prize promises to award $10M in prizes to teams developing clean, production-capable vehicles which have a fuel efficiency that exceeds 100 MPG; the competition is slated for 2010.