Build Your Own 70-mpg Diesel Car

Last year, we introduced you to our eight favorite diesel-powered participants in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize (PIAXP) competition. Our original article ("Diesel X Prize," Jan. '10) gave a detailed description of the rules and the purpose of the event. For those of you who have just subscribed, the X Prize is a contest open to anyone who could design an energy-efficient, clean, easily mass-produced, and consumer-accepted automobile. Of the 117 official contenders, 29 used a diesel engine in some configuration. We eagerly followed along at www.progressiveautoxprize.org. We watched in disappointment, however, as nearly all our favorite participants dropped out. Amazingly, BITW Technologies' Vincitore' 1000 was the only diesel-powered non-hybrid left in the whole competition.

Vincitore' 1000 Competing in the X Prize
Team leader George Voll's Vincitore' 1000 is, in our opinion, the vehicle most in line with the original spirit of the X Prize. The team's proof of concept was built with parts that would've otherwise gone to the scrapyard. How much greener can you get? Naturally, the team's fuel of choice was biodiesel. Together, the small-business-based team included Dave Boyd, Dan Boyd, Robert Boyd, Roger Lighter, Brian Holcomb, and Robert Voll. They did their best against the bigger companies' EMF-emitting, battery-hindered, infrastructure-lacking electric vehicles. At one point in the competition, the team told us it was in Fourth Place, but during what was supposed to be its best event (the mileage test), a minor mechanical problem occurred and the event was lost.

Even though the competition is over and BITW's dreams of building 10,000 of these cars a year is not scheduled to take place, BITW Technologies said it would provide services to people looking to create their own supermileage car on a budget.