The MPG Challenge
Welcome to the MPG Challenge.
The MPG Challenge was conceived to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the famous 1908 “Great Race” in which teams from France, Italy, Germany and the U.S. raced from New York to Paris. We know what you’re thinking: You can’t “drive” across the Atlantic. You’re right, they went the other way!
You see, the goal was to drive “all the way” to Paris by driving across North America, Russia, Eastern and Western Europe and finally into Paris. By the way, "all the way" meant driving across the frozen Bering Straits -- an effort quickly derailed by 20-foot-tall snow drifts! At the time, it was considered to be “the toughest race ever devised.”
They traveled over terrible roads in the harshest conditions to prove a point -- that the internal combustion engine was rugged enough for long distance travel. And in so doing, they changed the world forever. All this inspired us to think, “What challenge can we create a century later that is relevant and worth doing?"
What’s it all about?
Notice anything about the price of oil lately? We can’t even repeat the things we’ve overheard at the gas station the last time we went to fill up. Oil is at the eye of a global storm that threatens every one of us. Thankfully, more and more attention has been turned towards finding alternative fuel sources and more immediately, to conserving what we have. And that’s where the 2008 MPG Challenge comes in -- adding fuel to the development of super-efficient, high-mileage cars and encouraging all of us to squeeze as much as we can from the cars we currently drive.
Our goal? To encourage students, alumni, faculty and business to combine forces and discover the perfect combination of technology and driving habits to reach the magic number of 100 MPG. Sounds crazy, right? So did driving across the Bering Straits in the winter. Right now, people we call “hypermilers” are doing just that! In fact, one team achieved almost 110 MPG in an unmodified Toyota Prius and another scored 186 MPG with a Honda Insight! These are the very same cars you will find on the road today.
The race
The MPG Challenge puts teams in Toyota Prius hybrid-electric vehicles and challenges them to achieve optimum fuel economy under real world conditions. We’re not interested in a super high MPG result derived from a car driven around a track at 30 miles per hour. The MPG Challenge is a 4,000-mile, cross-country fuel economy rally.
The first team that reaches the finish line with the highest average MPG wins. And if they achieve the ultimate goal of 100 miles/gallon, they will receive the $1,000,000 Innovation Prize for their school’s scholarship fund.
Any team representing a college, university or trade school may enter. And students, faculty, alumni and even commercial partners are encouraged to work together and compete for their school.
When is it?
The MPG Challenge will begin on August 14, 2008, in New York City and finish about 10 days later, on August 23 in San Francisco.
Think there isn’t enough time to prepare? Think again -- the 1908 Great Racers had less than two months to prepare and the winner had less than a day to get to the start! And besides, it’s called a “challenge” for a reason -- it’s supposed to be hard! We believe there should be more worthwhile challenges today, and what better challenge could there be then trying to affect your future. We’re using a proven vehicle capable of reaching 100+MPG to add your technical creativity and driving skill. Now it's up to you to reach the ultimate goal, reach 100 MPG, so you’re already off and running. The rest… is up to you!
Challenge teams will face an unrivaled opportunity to gain real world experience while trying to solve a real world problem. It’s a summertime road trip with a purpose!
If you think you have what it takes and you are interested in entering your team, simply complete the Stay Connected form here and we’ll make sure you receive the official format announcements and program details.
To learn more, please download our Advance Regulations Summary
