Filed under: Technology
What Did The X-Prize Achieve?
It took the $25,000 Orteig Prize, as much as the promise of fame and glory, to convince Charles Lindbergh to risk a solo 1927 flight across the Atlantic. Three-quarters of a century later the $10 million Ansari X-Prize spurred the launch of SpaceShipOne, the first privately-funded manned spaceflight.
So, when the Progressive Insurance Auto X-Prize was announced, at the New York Auto Show, several years ago, there was plenty of reason to be excited. And the promise of the project only seemed to increase when fuel prices hit their 2008 peak and the national mindset started to shift steadily more and more in favor of alternative propulsion.
But now that organizers have announced the three winners that will share a significant $10 million purse, I am left wondering what the Auto X-Prize actually achieved and whether it came anywhere near its lofty goals.
Paul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of TheDetroitBureau.com, and a 30-year veteran of the automotive beat. His editorials bring his unique perspective and deep understanding of the auto world to Autoblog readers on a regular basis.
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TheDetroitBureau.com on Autoblog with Paul Eisenstein originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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