Spotlight on the Automotive X Prize, Part II

For the second half of my posting tonight, I'm going to clarify what I posted earlier a bit. While I wrote and stand behind my list of my four favorite concepts, I did not wish to slight the other 39 teams, all of whom are working very hard to see their respective visions come to life. I have nothing but respect for each and every one of the signatories of the Automotive X Prize letter of intent program, and in fact, this respect expands far beyond this competition to all those who are working to make the future better for our children, grandchildren, and beyond, and who are working to improve the world in hundreds of different ways. I say this on the off chance that someone from one of the teams may stumble across this microblog, and as an expression of hope for the future. My hope, my prayer is that we are able to accomplish more than we have before and that we continue to improve, not just because of the potential consequences of failure, but because it is good and right that we do so.

Regarding my brief commentary about the engine design from Team PsychoActive/THOUGHTFLOW Design, I could put a disclaimer that I do like turbines, since they are highly efficient and have a long and proven track record of good performance. However, my appreciation for that design goes a bit deeper than that, and a bit deeper than simple novelty. I stand by my statement that it could fundamentally change engine design, because I see how this design may overcome the weaknesses that have prevented turbines from gaining widespread use in smaller applications, such as automobiles. Throughout history, people have gone and attempted daring things, not knowing what can or can't be done on a smallish budget (such as the Wright Brothers), or if it could be done at all. Out of that, some fell by the wayside, and others became the Thomas Edison or Rudolf Diesel of their time, and the world was forever changed by their vision, ingenuity, and hard work. We need dreamers, and we need the people to inspire them. When I look at all of these teams, I see 43 dreams, 43 groups of intelligent dreamers, and I see an extraordinary amount of work and, yes, love and hope, that go into each of their respective visions. For my tiny readership, I ask that you share this with others. Maybe they'll see what I see, and if so, maybe they'll get energized by the thought of all of these possibilities. It's a thought.

Enjoy. :)