We decided to run E85, because it gave us some advantages in the way the emissions work. And in miles per gallon equivalent, we were able to record 129 on the highway. And final X Prize, I think we got 102.5, but in the lab we actually got 109 as a combined cycle efficiency.
It was a car built, cost no object, and it was a car built at the direction of General Motors management, that was supposed to get 100 miles per gallon . It did not. It got 88 miles per gallon on the highway cycle.
Quoting from a recent chapter in a book about him. " "Markels's success has made Gayner rich, but he lives in a simple townhouse and drives a Toyota Prius." I like getting 50 miles per gallon because I'm cheap, he says. And if we did not need oil, I think the world would be a better and more peaceful place.
supposed to get 100 miles per gallon . It did not. It got 88 miles per gallon on the highway cycle. The reason is, this architecture defines a glass ceiling.
said what if a 1971 VW Beetle improve improved at the same rate microchips had and they estimated that today that Beetle would go 300,000 mil an hour it would get 2 million miles per gallon and it would cost 4 cents okay so that's the power of doubling and doubling and
This company was the company that won the X Prize for the most efficient car that was sponsored by Progressive Insurance. In this contest, people had to make cars that could go better than 100 miles per gallon . They surprised everyone by actually winning with a liquid fuel-powered car, when the rules had been aimed very much for an electric car to win.
I remind you, the date given was 2025 for our commitment, and so there, we already have a CAFE standards trajectory to 2025, 50 plus miles per gallon , for example, for light duty vehicles.
So basically, as you said, the whole thing began with the X Prize. It wasn't looking for the most efficient car, it was looking for a car that is better than 100 miles per gallon and meets a whole series of other criteria.
We did not beat our target in the brake-specific fuel consumption of the engine, but all in all, it was enough. And it was interesting because, two years before we ran X Prize, we predicted we might get 110 miles per gallon , and we actually got 109. The most significant number is that our car can go 60 miles an hour using 5.3 horsepower.
an extension cord. And you can pretty much drive to the other side of the country by putting gas in it. What is quite stunning is this very efficient car, using the Honda generator, only gets 44 miles per gallon . What this tells you is how you lose, and lose, and lose.
And every time, you lose a few percentage points. By the time you're done, the 109-mile-per-gallon, 129-mile-per-gallon highway car gets 44 miles per gallon . There are a lot of lessons that we've learned.
You're not going to break the numbers. As opposed to this, you take our very simple car, 129 miles per gallon in the same test, with a steel frame, a new system, and much lower cost, because it's architecturally different.
I like station wagons, and station wagons became minivans, they became SUV's, and I would argue they're going to go back to being station wagons. And if you follow our prescription, and you just want a gas-burning station wagon, 60 miles per gallon is no problem whatsoever. And essentially, over the life of a car, you end up with a free car.
over time would be, youíd be able to make those monthly payments back. Gary Briggs: Yeah. Premal Shah: Itís, I think the clearest example here in the U.S. is if the government said any vehicle that has over 50 miles per gallon gets zero percent interest financing for 30 years, itís like mortgages are 30 years long, so your monthly payments are so low that itís a no brainer from your fuels cost savings to actually go and switch over.