L2si

From the fine folks who brought us a different kind of space race, we now have this:

Goals of the Prize
Our goal is to stimulate automotive technology, manufacturing and marketing breakthroughs that:

• Radically reduce oil consumption and harmful emissions
  
• Result in a new generation of super-efficient and desirable mainstream vehicles that people want to buy

How it will work
The rules are being shaped by our philosophy that the Automotive X PRIZE must:

• Achieve our main goals (above)
  
• Be simple to understand and easy to communicate
  
• Benefit the world - this is a global challenge
  
• Result in real cars available for purchase, not concept cars
  
• Remain independent, fair, non-partisan, and technology-neutral
  
• Provide clear technical boundaries (i.e., for fuel-efficiency, emissions, safety, manufacturability, performance, capacity, etc.)
  
• Offer a "level playing field" that attracts both existing automobile manufacturers and newcomers
  
• Attract a balanced array of private investment, donors, sponsors, and partners to help competitors succeed (e.g., manufacturing assistance, testing resources, etc.)
  
• Make heroes out of the competitors and winner(s) through unprecedented exposure, media coverage and a significant cash award
  
• Educate the public on key issues

Here's looking forward to what the entrants in this competition come up with, and hoping that some of the ideas get past the concept stage and into real commercial implementation.