In the knockout stage, competing vehicles had to successfully repeat the technical inspections and on-track safety tests they completed during the first stage in May. For this second round, the machines and their drivers also had to complete emissions, efficiency, and range events in which they had to achieve at least two-thirds the energy equivalent of 100 miles per gallon of gasoline (100 MPGe), the minimum target for the final prize. Cars also had to run a minimum of 134 miles for mainstream class and 67 miles for the alternative class. Achieving 100 MPGe is the final goal.
Two cars now remain in the mainstream class, both Edison2 Very Light Cars with internal combustion engines. Other remaining teams include Tata Motors Ltd, India's largest automaker; established electric vehicle companies like Aptera and ZAP; and upstart Western Washington University. The field has narrowed considerably since last fall, when 43 teams with 53 vehicles began pursuit of the Holy Grail of vehicle efficiency. See the X Prize press release, the team standings Web site, and the Edison2 Web site.
IEA Report: Energy Technology Revolution is Now Underway
A new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) finds early indications that an energy technology revolution is now underway. Released on July 1, Energy Technology Perspectives 2010, reports that global investment in renewable power generation reached an all-time high of $112 billion in 2008, then remained broadly stable in 2009 despite the economic downturn.
The report notes that many major automakers are adding electrified vehicles to their fleets, and that with the purchase incentives available in many countries, more than 5 million EVs could be on the road in the next decade. Developed countries have also accelerated their energy efficiency gains, while funding for low-carbon energy research increased by one-third between 2005 and 2008.
The IEA report concludes, however, that if the necessary policy support for this "energy revolution" remains lacking, fossil fuels will continue to provide most of the world's energy needs, leading to a near doubling of energy-related carbon emissions by 2050. To change this trajectory, energy efficiency, the most important "fuel" of the future, must be emphasized.
In addition to rapidly expanding renewable energy to provide half the world's electricity by 2050, the report also calls for expanding other nuclear, carbon capture and other low-carbon energy sources.
The shift would cost $45 trillion more than the baseline scenario over the next 40 years, but the spending would have positive returns on investment, along with other economic, social, and environmental benefits. See the IEA press release, the Energy Technology Perspectives Web site, and the executive summary of the report (PDF 2.2 MB).
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EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
