This baby was built by a team of expert designers and engineers with experience at the racetracks of LeMans and Daytona. It is built on a ridiculously luxurious 100-inch wheel base. But it holds only four passengers in seats fit for a kindergarten classroom. The exterior lines are so sleek, one might at first think the doors are non-existent. And one would be right: the only way to enter the car is by crawling in through the windows.
Once inside, check out the amenities. A super-efficient mini-heater, but sadly no air conditioning. You only get one wiper because you only need one, as the windshield is only a couple of feet wide. Heated mirrors? What mirrors? It has no Bluetooth connectivity for your phone or any way to play your iPod. In fact, it has no sound system of any kind.
Step on the gas, and feel the power of those horses – all 40 of them! – springing to life. The car runs on a 85% ethanol/15% gasoline mix, and uses a rear-mounted motorcycle engine. But since the whole thing weighs less than 850 pounds, you can reach a top speed of WELL OVER 50 miles an hour. And once you get going, you can go for a long, long time.
Oh yeah, this baby has that “X factor”: the ability to go over 100 miles on a gallon of gas.
For that achievement, the Edison2 Very Light Car, which looks like a funny silver egg on outrigger wheels, was awarded yesterday with the “Automotive X Prize,” sponsored by Progressive Insurance. Which means in addition to all its other cutting-edge attributes, it now has one heck of a sticker price: a cool $5 Million.
By Mike Keeler [email protected]