Cottonball Run

With all the talk about which car is the greenest, and for whom, there has yet to be a definitive test between all vehicles. There are many races that prove who can build the fastest car, most powerful car, and the best drivers of those vehicles, but none for green cars. The current auto X-prize calls for a 100 MPG car, with further guidelines that “people will want to buy itâ€. This is too vague and general, and doesn’t sound like an actual competition.

Inspired by the Cannonball Run, here is my proposal for a Cottonball Run. Like the original Cannonball, the Cottonball is a cross-country race from Manhattan to Santa Monica. Unlike the Cannonball, the Cottonball is not a race for speed, it is a race for MPG.

The Cottonball Run is a cross-country race to see who gets the best MPG.

There would be 3 categories of vehicles, each racing separately.

Category 1
Electric Only Vehicles. Tesla Roadster, EV-1, full electric conversion vehicles, etc. manufacturer prototypes are allowed. Vehicle must run on battery only. Recharging may be accomplished by brake regeneration, plug-in or solar only. No internal combustion generators or fuel cells. Vehicle with best MPkWh wins. Secondary prize also goes to vehicle with the least total kWh used. Race must be completed in 100 hrs or less, final time used as tie breaker only.

Category 2
Mod Vehicles. Individuals or teams may mod any commercially vehicle, or build their own from scratch, to provide best MPG. No vehicle from category 1 are allowed. Any modded vehicle must still be street legal, and not compromise original vehicle safety rating. Any original vehicles must meet minimal safety requirements(TBD), and pass a safety test(TBD), or provide data that shows the same. Vehicle with best MPG wins. Secondary prize also goes to vehicle with least total gas used, and best MPG over 100 mile stretch. Race must be completed in 100 hrs or less, final time used as tie breaker only.

Category 3 – the Main Event
Any stock commercially available vehicle. Any vehicle on the market today, not limited to hybrids. Category 1 and 2 vehicles that are not commercially available are not allowed. Minimal modding allowed for this event. The main powertrain of the vehicle may not be altered – this means any category 2 vehicle that adds batteries, or recharging options that are not part of the original stock vehicle are not allowed. Mods are limited to weight, body kits, tires/suspension, and brakes. The original vehicle software may not be altered – no changing timing of ignition for example. Activation of existing software are allowed. This event will be focused on driving skill, so any rules regarding the vehicle mods will be aimed at preserving as much of the commercial vehicle as possible. Vehicle with best miles per energy unit wins. Energy unit that is common to electric, ICE, or fuel cell vehicles TBD. Secondary prize also goes to vehicle with least total energy used, and best miles per energy over 100 mile stretch. Race must be completed in 100 hrs or less, final time used as tie breaker only.

General rules: vehicles must obey all local traffic laws, traffic lights, speed limits, safe driving conditions, etc. all vehicles must carry a communication package provided by the race officials. This package will record all data used to determine the winner, as well as GPS updates of location and speed. There will be no pre-determined racing route, race teams will have to determine the best route to take for their vehicle to complete the race in the time allowed.


So that’s the proposal. I am asking for comments, suggestion, feedback, etc. I think this is a much better competition to find the ultimate green vehicle. This would test real world driving conditions, driving skills, and also have separate categories for manufacturers and garage builders alike to show off what they got.

I am posting this to both Prius Online and Prius Chat to gauge interest. If there’s enough interest and good feedback, I will try to submit this to the Ansari foundation, or any other group that can help make this happen. I don’t know if there are any professional lurkers on these forums, but if you are in a position to make this happen, don’t hesitate to contact me.

 

JimboK: something like the Great Race is definitely what I hope the Cottonball would turn out to be. However, I imagine this to be a yearly event, not just once. And certainly, the more events like this, the better. I will definitely check out the Great Race once it gets underway.

N3FOL: destination stated in the initial post: Manhattan to Santa Monica.

Godiva: I actually was thinking about that too. Warhorse, if ESPN can make poker and bowling exciting, they can easily make this exciting as well. And it is a race, because there is a time limit, and you are travelling a great distance.

As to how it'll play out on TV, obviously this race would take at least a few days. I think periodic updates would be perfect. Since all vehicles would have GPS locators, you can show where each team is on the map, and show instant standings according to the telemetry. There will be a final episode as competitors start pulling to the finish line, and maybe a one hour wrap a few weeks after all teams have finished. And if hourly updates aren't enough, ESPN.com can have live updates during the 4 days of driving.

 

I am serious about this, but I don't want it to be an illegal event like the Cannonball. I want it to be fully sanctioned and sponsored. Ideally, I would like this to be either an X-Prize type event, or a NASCAR type yearly event.

Sounds like there's interest enough on this site (though PriusOnline has few takers). I will start asking around and explore options.

anyone got ideas?

Edited to add: any self-professed hypermilers here? I would love to hear what a hypermiler's thoughts on this is. Do you think you can do it?