Sibling-blog AB Green just posted a follow-up story about the Automotive X-Prize. As we reported a few months ago, the same people who put up a bounty to encourage private space flight are doing something similar to encourage fuel-efficient vehicle innovation. The latest release from Automotive X-Prize names the first 31 teams to be accepted into the competition. The list of teams includes some familiar names, like Tesla, Zap, and Phoenix Motorcars. Fuel Vapor Technology and Team Velozzi are there, too. The 31 teams already chosen came from a stack of some 300 applications the Automotive X-Prize group received since announcing their latest competition.

The Automotive X-Prize is designed to get engineers thinking outside the box in terms of fuel economy. The goal is to develop a "commercially viable" vehicle that will get at least 100 mpg. How it's done is up to the individual teams, but they have to keep production in mind to be eligible. They even have to show a business plan proving that they can sell at least 10,000 units a year. The competition starts with peer reviews next year, and then the actual vehicle competitions in 2009. Click over to AB Green for more details.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]