Next X Prizes target genes and gas mileage

The people behind the X Prize that kick-started personal space travel are planning prizes in a variety of non-space fields, from automobile technology and genome research to nanotechnology and education.

The goal is to cut through red tape, jump-start progress and allow genius to shine.

…For the automotive prize, the focus is on breakthroughs in areas such as miles per gallon and manufacturing.

“Why do we still drive cars that use an internal combustion engine and only get 30 miles per gallon? I think that we’ll see some amazing achievements in this area,” Diamandis predicted. Further details on this automotive prize are forthcoming, he added, when the prize is fully formulated.

LiveScience.com