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Automotive X Prize revs up for Michigan events, Knockout Stage starts next week

Sebastian Blanco — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 09:28:00 EST

Governor Granholm and X-Prize CEO Peter Diamandis in the Amp'd Sky - Click above for high-res image gallery

At the official kick-off event for the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize in Lansing, MI today, the same cars, most of the same people and the same "news" was delivered as we heard and saw back in January at the Detroit Auto Show. Still, with the sun out and the shakedown stage of the event about to kick off at the Michigan International Speedway next week, there was a sense of excitement today that just wasn't present in Cobo Hall four months ago. The main similarity is that Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm spoke at both events, and she's energetic no matter what.

The Amp'd Sky (pictured), the Edison2's Very Light Car, the Zap Alias and the Tango two-seater EV were all on hand. Aptera was listed among the teams that would be on hand, but there was no 2e to be found anywhere. Oh, and remember when there were something like 120 teams shooting for the top spot? Today there are but 28 teams left, entering a total of 36 vehicles in the mainstream (15 vehicles) and alternative (21) classes. You can see the breakdown of where these teams are from and what type of energy they are using after the jump.

The one tidbit that caught our ear today was that in the second-to-last stage of the event, the Knockout Qualifying Stage in June, the teams will only need to prove their vehicles can achieve 67 miles per gallon equivalent. During the Finals Stage a month later, they will need to reach 100 mpge, the headline target for the X-Prize. We asked why this low bar was set so close to the end of the competition, and the X-Prize's Senior Director, Eric Cahill, said that it was a reasonable goal everyone agreed to and proves that all the competitors will at least be in the ballpark when it comes time for the final event. We don't know how anyone who just manages to reach the June goal will be able to tweak their way to 30 more mpge in a few short weeks, but maybe that's the kind of intense competition the X-Prize will deliver in the very near future.

Gallery: Automotive X-Prize at the Michigan Capitol

Continue reading Automotive X Prize revs up for Michigan events, Knockout Stage starts next week

Automotive X Prize revs up for Michigan events, Knockout Stage starts next week originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Jay Leno does the electric Tango

Domenick Yoney — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Technology, Videos, Celebrities, Design/Style, Electric

Jay Leno drives Commuter Cars' Tango - click above to watch the video after the jump

Jay Leno likes him some electric Tango. No, not the new dance craze all the kids are ~~talking~~ texting about, but rather the oddly-narrow but very quick two-seater from Commuter Cars. Now, regular Autobloggreen readers have seen the Tango before, posing beside George Clooney or perhaps drag racing Tesla Roadsters, and many have commented (less than favorably) on its, um, nonconformist appearance. Perfect fodder, one might think, for a crack by someone who knows a thing or two about comedy. Instead, our man Jay Leno plays things pretty straight as he chats with its creator Rick Woodbury before taking it for a spin.

Watching the clip, you can tell that Leno really likes it, especially from behind the wheel. He reports it doesn't feel like a small car inside and really only looks weird from the outside. He likes that it's unique and finds the fact you can lane split with it to be hilarious. However, the real reason he states "It makes you smile..." has less to do with the Tango's width as it does with the fact that "it goes like stink," a point which he happily reiterates.

Despite its turn-of-speed, one of the Tango's biggest shortcoming is its 40 mile range at highway speeds. The car's heavy lead acid batteries are great for keeping it upright around hard corners, but you can't expect to go too far with yesteryear's technology. During their pre-drive talk, Commuter Cars' Woodbury revealed that the company is finally about to put lithium battery pack in a test car, and he expects for it to go up to 200 miles. All of which strikes us as a much more reasonable number if he ever expects to bring skinny back. Hit the jump for video of a little Tango in Jay's Garage.

Gallery: AltCar 2009: Tango EV

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

Top Gear

Continue reading VIDEO: Jay Leno does the electric Tango

VIDEO: Jay Leno does the electric Tango originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tesla tangles with Tango EV on dragstrip, loses

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:27:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hybrid, Performance, Green, Videos

Click above to watch the video

Quick! What's the hottest electric car currently on the market? Did you say the Tesla Roadster? You may in fact be right, but there's another contender that you should consider before making up your mind so quickly. The fish-shaped all-electric Tango by Commuter Cars Corporation might not be as much of a looker as the Roadster, but it may be a quicker in a straight line. Need proof? Take a look at the video after the break of a Tango going up head-to-head with a Tesla Roadster to see which green drag-racer came out the victor -- you may be surprised. It bears noting that this particular Roadster was equipped with drivetrain V.1, not the updated 1.5 that would improve performance considerably. For what it's worth, an official record was set by the Tesla Roadster on this pass, though we know the car can do even better. The Tesla's owner and driver, Jorg Brown, also knows that it's got more in it. For an accurate depiction of just how quick Silicon Valley's electric car can be, click here.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

Continue reading Tesla tangles with Tango EV on dragstrip, loses

Tesla tangles with Tango EV on dragstrip, loses originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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